Valve has had a lot of time to work on a follow-up since the game developer released "Left 4 Dead 2" in 2009, and fans have been waiting for the third installment in the franchise since then.

Last year, it was rumored that the highly anticipated title was going to be announced at E3, but Valve remained mum about the game at last year's conference.

Now, a new report claims that the game is coming back from its seven-year hiatus, and that it will be announced at E3 2016, which will take place in June at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

According to Express, Valve is said to be working on a new game and it is rumored to be on Microsoft's list for the Xbox One backward compatibility program. The company is allegedly focusing on the new "Left 4 Dead" game after putting plans for "Half-Life 3" on hold. The third installment is said to be released in 2017.

The game, which is said to be a prequel, will feature four main characters consisting of three males and one female. The characters are a gangster named Irvin, a comic book enthusiast called Keenan, a Kenpo fighter named Garrett Jr. and a female character named Katherine.

While this has yet to be confirmed, the site reports that there has been clamor to increase the team size from four to six or even eight players, though it's possible that Valve may choose to stick with its original formula of having a four-player team, should the company release the game in the near future.

The website also claims that there will be six different campaigns to choose from, which include No Mercy, Cliff-Hanger, Early Destination, Crashland, Impasse and Inquisitor Land, and moreover, there are speculations that future DLC releases will increase the number of campaigns for "Left 4 Dead 3."

Valve has yet to make a comment about the speculations. There has been a lot of support for the franchise and there are several petitions online asking for the release of "Left 4 Dead 3." Many believe that the gaming company is working on the title, and back in 2014 "Counter-Strike" co-creator Minh "Gooseman" Le even said in an interview that he has seen "Left 4 Dead 3" and that it "looks great." For now, fans may have to wait until June to hear any official news about the game.