While for some game developers $25 million USD is the budget for the whole game, Valve plans to spend this sum "just" for its advertising campaign for Left 4 Dead 2 alone.
Aggressive use of TV commercials, online and print ads are a few examples which you can expect to see in the upcoming months. While the marketing for the first Left 4 Dead title cost about $10 million USD, Valve more than doubles it for the second installment and expects it to be the fastest-selling product in Valve's history:
"Based on the strength of pre-orders, Left 4 Dead 2 will be the fastest-selling product in Valve's history," commented Valve president Gabe Newell. "Left 4 Dead 2 has consistently run at 300 per cent of Left 4 Dead's numbers."
"The game has already set a record for the greatest number of pre-orders in the company's history, marketing vice president Doug Lombardi added, who pointed out the game still has one month to go before it ships."