Originally slated for a March release, The Passing was delayed after Valve announced it was adding extra goodies to the DLC, including new enemies, new weapons, and in particular, new game modes. The Left 4 Dead 2 blog, written by Valve's Left 4 Dead team, stated on Friday the wait is almost over, and The Passing will be coming soon.
"Well... if it was coming out next week we would say right here - Left 4 Dead 2's The Passing is coming out next week and we will be updating the blog next week with more news on the release. There you go."
In honor of the meeting The Passing delivers, Valve is also directing Left 4 Dead fans to a handful of other world-colliding events.
Valve's fictional rock band the Midnight Riders are releasing two songs for Rock Band, and The Passing will feature the group's new slow power ballad, "Save Me Some Sugar."
One Left 4 Dead fan decided to enter a Wizard of Oz concept art contest with a mash-up of the 1939 movie and the zombie survival game, while others threw Half Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 into the Left 4 Dead 2 blender.
The Passing has been priced at 560 Microsoft Points for the Xbox 360 ($7). Valve has not announced whether it will be charging for the PC download, though, given the company's track record, it's unlikely.
Sharkey says: Valve has long objected to charging for additional content, and from the outside, it looks like the company wanted to do the same with The Passing. Pure speculation here, but perhaps the delay is due to the company taking the time to add the additional game modes after Microsoft demanded a little scratch for distributing through Live.
