Originally posted by Game Informer

Few independent studios sport the multiplayer pedigree of Turtle Rock Studios. After years of working on Valve's Counter-Strike series, the California-based developer created Left 4 Dead, a post-apocalyptic shooter that redefined cooperative gaming and landed the number-one spot on Game Informer's Top 30 Co-op Games of All Time list. Now the studio is combining its competitive and cooperative design expertise for a new, next-gen only IP: Evolve. Backed by publisher 2K Games, which paid a whopping $10.8 million for the IP in last year's THQ auction, Turtle Rock is taking full advantage of gamers' powerful new systems.

The sci-fi multiplayer-focused shooter pits a four-player crew of alien hunters against a separate player-controlled monster that grows larger and more powerful over the course of matches. Each hunter features its own unique items and abilities, and while the monster may be outnumbered, its size and an assortment of devastating attacks make it a more than formidable foe. Like Turtle Rock's previous titles, Evolve is being built with variety and replayabilty in mind; the result is a novel mix of cooperative and competitive multiplayer elements that's unlike anything we've played before. Our exclusive hands-on time with the game's four-versus-one hunt mode left us with plenty to be excited about, and you can get all the details in this month's issue.

Our 12-page look at Evolve reveals the first hunters, monster, and unique equipment players will get their hands on when the game releases on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 this fall. We also have a wealth of exclusive screens and hands-on impressions you won't want to miss. Check out the cover image below for your first hint at what's to come.

Originally posted by Digital Spy

For me, Turtle Rock Studios’ Left 4 Dead is about as close as you can get to a perfect game. Simple in concept, infinitely replayable, easy to learn, and impossible to master. I’m not sure how you top it, but I can’t wait to see Turtle Rock try with Evolve, its upcoming sci-fi shooter that pits a team of four hunters against one gigantic, overpowered, player-controlled monster.

Evolve is the cover story of Game Informer’s February issue, in which more is surely to be revealed, but the developer released a few initial details about the game today. The different hunters will each have different abilities and items, while the monster—more powerful to begin with—will grow larger and more powerful over the course of matches. According to a post on the developer’s Facebook page in 2011, it also seems like Evolve will be built in CryEngine 3. It’s set to release on Steam and consoles this year.

Turtle Rock says that the four against one multiplayer concept was partly inspired by the Predator film, in which the former governor of California, the former governor of Minnesota, and other unreasonably ripped soldiers are hunted by one deadly alien.

It sounds like a logical evolution (heh) of the concepts Turtle Rock established in Left 4 Dead, finding balance between two teams with vastly different abilities, and making you feel like you’re fighting against impossible odds.

Valve acquired Turtle Rock in 2008 based on the work it did on Counter Strike: Condition Zero and the Counter Strike Xbox port, but the two companies parted ways after the release of Left 4 Dead, allowing Turtle Rock to reform as an independent studio. Originally, Turtle Rock was working with THQ on the project, but Evolve will be published by 2K games, which bought the rights for Evolve during THQ's bankruptcy auction.