Back 4 Blood Publisher Releases Statement on Racial Slur in the Game's Beta

The first session for the Back 4 Blood beta is just wrapping up, and players have started to notice a strange sound coming out of the game's zombies. Video from the game has been shared on Twitter by user @HomBKE, and the zombies can be heard saying something that sounds incredibly similar to a racial slur. The sound is quite distinctive, and a number of other players have shared similar videos. Kotaku reached out to WB Games regarding the issue, and the publisher explained that this is the result of two different growls being heard at the same time. Apparently, a fix will be coming soon.

"Our team has been made aware of offensive language that can be heard when playing the game. This was not recorded or ever intended to be part of our gameplay. The audio is a result of two different Ridden growls that are playing simultaneously and when heard together sound like that word. We are working diligently to fix this issue, which should be completed either in time for the Beta, or when the game launches," the statement reads.

The next session of Back 4 Blood's open beta is set to begin on August 12th. Hopefully, the issue will be fixed by then! This is hardly the impression any developer or publisher wants to leave with a game's beta. However, it's easy to see how this mistake could have happened, and it's good to see that the team is determined to address it.

Back 4 Blood is a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead franchise. The game is developed by Turtle Rock Studios, who also worked on that particular series. Left 4 Dead is owned by Valve, but fans of the first two games can expect to see similar gameplay, with some new twists on the formula.

Back 4 Blood is set to release October 12th on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later this year. You can check out our previous coverage of the game right here.

Are you looking forward to Back 4 Blood? Have you checked out the game's beta yet? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!