A new report from a reputed Valve community leaker claims that the long-awaited Half-life 3 is not in development, despite rumors of a new game in the series. Although a few years ago this was taken for granted due to Valve’s prolonged silence on the third installment, things turned around in early 2020. The release of Half-Life: Alyx more or less substantially revived the series, sparking the speculation on whether Half-Life 3 would eventually happen.
Although Half-Life is recognized as one of the highest-rated game series of all time, the franchise had been on the sidelines before 2020. While a new main Half-Life game was prototyped around 2013, plans to a Half-life 3 they were officially canceled some time later, along with a host of other highly anticipated sequels from Valve. Given that Valve has had immense success with things like its Steam gaming rig and VR projects, many were not surprised to see full game development slow down. This seemed to change in March 2020 with the release of the virtual reality game Half-Life: Alyx, which was met with high praise from fans, new and old. Its success has paved the way for another new Half-Life installment, and rumors of a Half-Life 3 continue to persist.
Sadly, according to Tyler McVicker, a prominent Valve insider and YouTuber, Half-life 3 it is not running in any way. Apparently Valve is focused on a game for the upcoming Steam Deck called “Citadel”, which is believed to be a Half-Life real-time strategy game. McVicker described the game as a “Left 4 Dead and Alien Swarm, and RTS and Half-Life having a baby.” It seems like Valve is focused on commercializing the Steam Deck and supporting the next handheld console, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Half-Life 3 is never going to come out.
Although McVicker has been correct with leaks and rumors in the past, claims about a Half-Life RTS and the absence of Half-life 3 they are not verified at the moment, and should be taken with caution. The end of Half-Life: Alyx hints that Valve will continue the Gordon Freeman story in the future, however the developer may have higher priorities right now with the upcoming release of their latest hardware, the Steam Deck. With Alyx and the rumored real-time strategy game hinting at a new era for the franchise, it’s possible Valve may be planning the next main Half-Life and prototyping a concept once the Steam Deck launches.
If the rumors are true, it’s unclear when Citadel could come out, but it may 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 it was leaked ahead of time and forced the developer to announce the game ahead of time. As of now, it seems that Half-life 3 it is years away, if it ever occurs. The end of Half-Life Alyx may be another unsolved cliffhanger, but it would be strange to poke fun at fans once again without a real plan to continue the series.