A new report from a reputable leaker in the Valve community claims that the long-awaited Half-Life 3 is not in development, despite rumors of a new game in the series. While this may have been a foregone conclusion a few years ago due to Valve’s extended silence on the threequel, things changed in early 2020. The release of Half-Life: Alyx more or less revived the series in a substantial way, sparking speculation over whether or not Half-Life 3 would finally happen.
While Half-Life is recognized as being one of the highest-rated game series of all time, the franchise had been seemingly left by the wayside prior to 2020. While a new mainline Half-Life game was prototyped around 2013, plans for a Half-Life 3 were officially canceled sometime after, along with a number of other highly-anticipated Valve sequels. Given Valve has had immense success with things like its gaming platform Steam and its VR ventures, many were unsurprised to see it apparently scaling back on its full-fledged game development. This seemed to change in March 2020 with the release of VR game Half-Life: Alyx, which was met with exceedingly high praise from fans both new and old. Its success has paved the way for another new Half-Life release, with rumors of a Half-Life 3 continuing to persist.
Sadly, according to prominent Valve insider and YouTuber Tyler McVicker (via VGC), Half-Life 3 is not in the works in any notable shape or form. Valve is reportedly focused on a game for the upcoming Steam Deck codenamed “Citadel“, which is believed to be a Half-Life RTS game. McVicker described the game as a “Left 4 Dead and Alien Swarm, and RTS and Half-Life all having a baby“. Valve’s focus seems to be on getting the Steam Deck shipped while supporting the upcoming handheld, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Half-Life 3 will never happen.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
While McVicker has been correct with leaks and rumors in the past, the claims of both a Half-Life RTS and a lack of Half-Life 3 are currently unverified, and should be taken with a grain of salt. The ending of Half-Life: Alyx heavily implies Valve will continue the story of Gordon Freeman in the future, but the developer may just have some higher priorities at the moment with the upcoming release of its latest hardware, the Steam Deck. With Alyx and the rumored RTS game hinting at a new era for the franchise, it’s possible that Valve could well be planning the next mainline Half-Life and prototyping a concept once the Steam Deck ships.
If the rumors are true, it’s unclear when Citadel may release, but it’s possible it will be announced at The Game Awards 2021, as host Geoff Keighley has a good relationship with Valve. Half-Life: Alyx was planned to be announced at the show in 2019, but was leaked ahead of time and forced the developer to announce the game early. As of right now, it seems like Half-Life 3 is years away if it ever happens. It’s possible that Half-Life Alyx’s ending could be yet another unresolved cliffhanger, but it would be strange to tease fans once again without a real plan in place to continue the series.
Source: Tyler McVicker/YouTube (via VGC)
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