Will Valve Make HL3

• FPS
• March 1, 2019

Has Valve truly given up the ghost of what is arguably the most iconic FPS in video game history?

Some answers are harder to find than others. What you find may surprise you more than the cliff hanger at the end of Half Life 2.

The internet abounds with memes and tantalizing tidbits about the game that never was. Easily as beloved as Firefly (the short run Fox TV series that had fans so dedicated they actually managed to create enough of a stir to get their cancelled show finished off as a feature length film) Half Life brought new life to FPS. Is it possible that gamer fans could pull off a similar trick? The answer is… Maybe. Don’t hold your breath yet though.

The 20th Anniversary

Hopes were high last year as the 20th anniversary of the original loomed. There was a stir among the loyalists and more mentions of Half Life 3 than usual from everyone except Valve itself. The anniversary came and went without any announcements about the one game fans wanted to hear about. It was anticlimactic, like a final boss who looks like a floating baby. Disappointment was the word of the day for a while.

Mum’s The Word

Valve doesn’t want to talk about it. Perhaps because they have been asked the same question so many times, they have nothing to say on the subject of HL3. Over the years there have been leaks, prototypes, possible mistakes or dead ends. The diehards hold on to the idea of this game like a pirate holds on to a treasure map.

It has as much as been said repeatedly, by Valve, that, while a handful of unsuccessful attempts have been made, “There is no Half Life 3.” The failed storylines and aborted art that have leaked are not meant to give hope. Yet, surprisingly enough, many of Half Lifes players are still waiting for more.

A Light In the Dark

Oddly there is one, small, indicator that might give real hope to those holding on to Half Life. Valve is working on VR. Leaked in 2018, plans for a new headset are said to include a new Half Life prequel. They’re also hoping to debut some great innovative glove controls. Sure, a prequel is not the same as finally getting the game we’ve all been waiting for two decades to play, but it is the first reliable whisper of a new Half Life game in quite some time.

With the leap to a VR format new possibilities open up. Doubtless there are plenty of game developers lined up to take their classics and make them immersive in a way they only dreamed of in the past. The recent rise in popularity of retro gaming makes it a profitable genre again. Companies that want to stay alive need to make a profit, so they go where the money is.

At the end of the day what fans should take away from all of this is that Valve does not have anything to say that indicates the anticipated HL3 is ever coming. However, unless Valve drops the ball on this one as well, there is a new Half Life game coming.

Take some comfort in these final thoughts: history and practicality do argue in favor of more Half Life yet to come. While the specific expected game may or may not ever be released, there are almost certainly new Half Life stories to tell in VR.

Here’s also a joke for Valve is making half life 3.