An anonymous insider source at Valve discusses the elusiveHalf-Life 3, indicating that the game has never been far in development, and likely won’t ever release.
It’s been adecade sinceHalf-Life 2: Episode Two’s cliffhanger, and while there have been rumors over the years, there’s no concrete evidence thatHalf-Life 2: Episode ThreeorHalf-Life 3even exist. Despite the lack of communication from Valve, many fans have kept their fingers crossed that Gordon Freeman’s adventures will continue, but those fans may want to keep their expectations in check, if a new report is to be believed.
Game Informer’s Andrew Reinerhas published an interview he conducted with an insider source at Valve revealing as much. Reiner was unable to corroborate the information his source gave him, but if we take the information at face value, it paints a dire picture ofHalf-Life 3. Apparently, development has started and stalled on a potentialHalf-Life 3numerous times over the years, but no projects have made it far, and at this point, it’s unlikely that a third game in the franchise will ever see the light of day.
“There is no such thing asHalf-Life 3. Valve has never announced aHalf-Life 3.”
Those disheartening words come straight from the insider source, who is clearly pessimistic about the prospect ofHalf-Life 3, and is uncertain if a newHalf-Lifeproject will ever be started again. In the interview, the insider source indicates thatGabe Newelland the other higher-ups at Valve simply haven’t been interested in any of the potentialHalf-Life 3projects that have been in development, with no sign that they will have a change of heart any time soon.
Some of theHalf-Life 3projects described by the insider source sound rather strange. At one point, areal-time strategy (RTS) takeonHalf-Life 3was in the pipeline, and another project sought to blend live-action footage with gameplay to make it a “choice-driven game.” And with Valve’s recent work with virtual reality, it seems likely that theHalf-Life 3virtual reality gamethat was rumored last year may have been one of these projects as well. Of course, other versions ofHalf-Life 3were more traditional in nature, such as a single-player FPS game that picked up right where the events ofHalf-Life 2: Episode Twoleft off.
Some of the ideas presented by the insider source represent drastic departures from what fans expect from aHalf-Lifegame. However, at this point, they may welcome any chance to see the story conclude, even if it doesn’t come in the form of a traditional first-person shooter.
Unfortunately, withHalf-Lifecreator and series writer Marc Laidlaw retired from Valve and the company more interested in VR hardware and Steam,Half-Life 3may never see the light of day. As the years come and go, fans can expectreports of the game resuming developmentto pop up every once in awhile, but if Andrew Reiner’s inside source is to be believed, it would be wise to not get one’s hopes up about ever playing the game.
