Let’s face it- rumours of Half Life 3 being in improvement have been round since what feels just like the daybreak of time at this level. Because the launch of Half Life 2: Episode Two in 2007, there was no scarcity of reviews which have claimed that comply with ups for Valve’s celebrated first individual shooter franchise are in developments, and clearly, as everyone knows, often, these reviews have confirmed false. Positive, we did get the VR unique Half Life: Alyx, and sure, Half Life 3 really has been in improvement at sure factors, just for issues to not have panned out behind the scenes and the mission in the end being shelved- however right here we’re near 20 years after the aforementioned Episode Two’s launch, and that subsequent mainline entry within the sequence that rumours have been harping on about for thus lengthy nonetheless stays as elusive as ever.
Now, lo and behold, reviews are swirling once more a couple of new Half Life recreation being in improvement, as they’ve on no few events through the years. And although your first intuition with any claims of that kind can be to immediately dismiss them at this level – hell, you’ve seemingly even accomplished that with this present crop of reviews – this time, this time, it looks like perhaps there is likely to be one thing to the reviews. Possibly Valve actually does have Half Life’s subsequent large chapter within the works, and perhaps, simply perhaps, we’d really get to see how the story performs out after the occasions of 2007’s Episode Two.
However let’s pause and look again at latest events- as a result of what ever are these reviews of a Half Life 3 claiming particularly? In line with outstanding Valve insider Tyler McVicker, the corporate has Half Life 3 within the works, and truly has accomplished for some time. That report comes on the heels of different developments over latest months which have added gas to the fireplace, similar to claims from an actor final yr that Valve was engaged on a Half Life mission beneath the codename Undertaking White Sands.
As per McVicker, Half Life 3 is within the works as HLX as a full fledged non VR recreation, and is much sufficient alongside in improvement that it’s now at a stage the place it’s totally playable finish to finish. As per the insider, although there isn’t full readability but on whether or not the sport is content material full, it is mechanics complete- which signifies that although Valve should still add playable sections to the sport that aren’t presently in, the core mechanics that the expertise is constructed on are all prepared and usable.
The truth is, so superior is Half Life 3’s manufacturing that in keeping with McVicker, the sport may even be introduced in some unspecified time in the future this summer time, with a launch presumably being focused for this winter. It ought to go with out saying that, as with something within the video video games trade, there isn’t any date or launch window that you would be able to and will take as a right, and there’s each probability that Valve doesn’t really keep on with that timeline for Half Life 3 (particularly since nothing has been formally introduced but, so any and all delays can be purely inner at worst). The purpose, nevertheless, is that if McVicker’s claims are certainly true (which isn’t ever assured with an organization like Valve, and with a recreation as perennially elusive as Half Life 3), the mission is clearly superior sufficient in improvement that, as soon as method or one other, it’s going to be inside touching distance sooner relatively than later, even when we don’t get an announcement and a launch this yr, because the plan presently appears to be.
As thrilling as it’s to think about the prospect of a Half Life 3 lastly being launched at lengthy lengthy, you clearly even have to speak concerning the different aspect of the argument- since you do completely perceive the wholesome quantities of skepticism surrounding any and all claims that the sport is within the works. Even should you have been to disregard the truth that Half Life has been dormant for near 20 years barring a VR unique title (which was admittedly spectacular and completely unmissable for anybody who’s a sequence fan), or the truth that Valve hasn’t made a numbered sequel previous sophomore entries ever, you continue to have to think about the truth that Valve simply isn’t that targeted on recreation improvement as an organization anymore, with Steam (and now Stem Deck) being what it diverts most of its consideration to.
And whereas that’s clearly true and has been for fairly a very long time, it additionally has been much less true lately than it had been till not that lengthy ago- as a result of Valve’s output has undeniably elevated of late, even whether it is nowhere near what it was once at one level (although which will actually be unreasonable to anticipate, given simply how lengthy it takes to make a AAA recreation lately anyway- however that’s a completely completely different dialog).
We had Artifact in 2018, which kind of sucked, however was Valve’s first new recreation launch in a protracted, very long time. After that, we had Half Life: Alyx in 2020, a VR unique title that was by its very nature not almost as accessible to a large viewers as you’ll need a main new Half Life recreation to be, however was nonetheless a completely stellar recreation that anybody with the means and need to play it (what with its steep value of entry, due to the {hardware} that it’s on) ought to completely not miss out on. Rather more lately, in 2024, Valve launched MOBA third individual shooter Impasse in open playtesting, attracting huge participant numbers and widespread reward from many- and that’s a recreation that’s formally not even out but, so it can hopefully solely proceed to get higher within the time to return.
Across the time that Half Life: Alyx was about to return out, Valve talked about how the VR shooter wasn’t going to be a one off, that it really represented Valve’s return to the world of Half Life. The suggestion very a lot was that there have been extra Half Life tales within the pipeline that the corporate supposed to work on- and if rumurs are to be believed, it looks as if that work has progressed fairly nicely behind the scenes. Valve by no means launched official numbers for a way nicely Half Life: Alyx did, however seemingly, the sport carried out nicely sufficient that the corporate determined to maneuver forward plans with a full fledged non VR sequel.
Or that’s what we’re hoping for, at the very least. Let’s not overlook that that is nonetheless Valve, and that that is nonetheless the fabled Half Life 3 in question- which signifies that if tomorrow we have been to get phrase that the mission is useless and should by no means even have been alive within the first place, although we’d undoubtedly be disenchanted, we perhaps wouldn’t be terribly stunned. After so lengthy, it’s troublesome to imagine that we may conceivably studying “Half Life 3 confirmed” headlines in some unspecified time in the future within the not-too-distant future that aren’t being ironic within the slightest. Hopefully, nevertheless, that’s precisely what we’re headed for- the rumours undoubtedly do appear to be gathering momentum, so we’re retaining our fingers crossed with ever-so-cautious optimism.
Word: The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially signify the views of, and shouldn’t be attributed to, GamingBolt as a corporation.
