Half-Life developer Valve could be on course to revive its iconic creation in the near future, it seems.
The series, which casts players as silent protagonist Gordon Freeman, has long been championed by fans and critics alike for being one of the most influential games of its generation. Released way back in 2004 to instant acclaim, Half-Life 2 has since been ported – most notably bundled with the original Portal in The Orange Box – to various platforms accompanied by DLC expansions. The last of those, Episode Two, released in 2007 to a similar reception but since then…well, you undoubtedly know the story by now.
Half-Life 3, or lack thereof, has become a running joke in recent years, with fans of the FPS often chastising Valve for its seeming unwillingness to either confirm or deny the existence of a sequel. As for how the short history lesson above relates to today’s news – it’s almost certainly not what you think.
A new Half-Life title is rumored to be in development, yes, but this particular leak involves a spinoff virtual reality experience.
As per the transcript of a conversation supposed to have taken place between The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley and various members of Valve, the unverified discussion name-drops Half-Life: Alyx. Presumably, judging by its sub-header, the VR project will have players take control of Freeman’s friend and fellow freedom fighter Alyx and is said to be aiming for a March 2020 launch window.
Speaking with the studio’s Robin Walker, Keighley supposedly states:
March 2020, “Half-Life: Alyx” comin’ out, and again, yeah, we’ll do “The Final Hours” next year. You know, it’s been so fun to do those with “Half-Life”, “Half-Life 2”, “Portal”, and that will take everyone through really the past decade at Valve and all that you guys have been through, all the experiments that you don’t know about.
Speaking of “Half-Life: Alyx”, (It will be at) The Game Awards, December 12th. We will have more to share with you on the game there so I hope you get to tune in. I’m excited to show more of it there.
So, what do you think? A strong indication that Half-Life is finally making its grand return, or completely fabricated baloney? Ultimately, we’ll have to wait until The Game Awards kicks off next month for a final answer, but in the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the usual place below!