The evidence for Half-Life 3 continues to build, with fans now saying they have proof the game exists within Steam’s back-end code. There have been quite a few hints lately that could be interpreted to be the long-awaited sequel, but after many, many, many disappointments over the past two decades, we urge you to take this news with the proper dose of skepticism.
On the Valve subreddit, u/Relevant_Basis5444 discovered that Valve has two games listed under Upcoming Releases, but only Deadlock is visible. The finding prompted a discussion among users — many confirming the listing — and one even said that using the Wayback Machine shows only one upcoming game as of December 29. Of course, there is a chance this could be nothing more than a bug.
Other users suggested the upcoming game could be In the Valley of the Gods by Firewatch developer Campo Santo, but it already has a Steam page unrelated to Valve.
The go-to explanation for fans is, of course, Half-Life 3, but it might be more than just wishful thinking this time. Earlier this year, Mike Shapiro (the voice actor for G-Man in Half-Life 2) shared a cryptic post that said an unexpected surprise was on the way. In November 2023, Valve finally explained what happened to the long-awaited Half-Life 2: Episode 3, and even before that, a data miner found snippets of code believed to be linked to a new, in-development title.
Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Natasha Chandel, another voice actor, referenced “Project White Sands,” an obvious codename that fans tied to Black Mesa, the setting of the Half-Life franchise. Although that reference has since been removed from Chandel’s resume, fans quote it as more evidence that something is stirring behind the scenes.
Half-Life 2 just celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, and this year will be five years since the launch of Half-Life: Alyx. With discussion and excitement reaching yet another fever pitch, it would be an ideal time for another Valve release.
Read the full article here
