Left 4 Dead DLC reanimates this spring

If anyone's going to profit from a zombie apocalypse, it may as well be Valve. Today, the Left 4 Dead publisher announced the first content expansion for Turtle Rock Studios' survival horror shooter, saying that the PC and Xbox 360 downloadable content will be available this spring.

Dubbed the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack, the add-on will include the titular multiplayer mode as well as two full campaigns for the Versus mode. Valve did not reveal details on what gamers can expect from Survival mode or the two campaigns, and it didn't provide pricing information. However, the game maker did say that the DLC would come packed in with the reissued Left 4 Dead: Critic's Choice Edition, which is expected to hit retail shelves this spring.

Valve also delivered good news for PC owners of the shooter. The publisher said that, beginning this spring, those who purchased the desktop edition of Left 4 Dead can download the game's software-development kit. The free mod-making tool will let gamers create their own custom levels and campaigns, which can then be distributed through Left 4 Dead's online matchmaking system.

Left 4 Dead is set in modern-day North America, in which the remnants of a town attempt to blast their way through an ocean of zombies lest they become infected themselves. The frenetic shooter relies heavily on cooperative play and supports up to four players at a time in online modes. Valve and Turtle Rock's shooter also includes competitive modes in which players can hunt or be hunted as part of the human or zombie