It’s not often that we hear from Valve. It’s been ten long years since the last Half-Life game, and Portal (if you’re not counting The Lab) hasn’t had a decent installment since 2011. It seems a focus has switched to supporting their multiplayer games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and DOTA 2, which within themselves hold micro-economies, million dollar esports tournaments and a whole subculture to boot.
This is why it’s important to really pick apart the communication we do get, which is notoriously sparse when it comes to their main franchises. Luckily, last week we got a pretty eye-opening Ask Me Anything on Reddit from Gabe Newell, the main figurehead at Valve. He was somewhat cryptic, but also revealing in some of his answers, so let’s take a look at what he said and figure out what Valve could be working on behind closed doors.
New IP In the Half-Life Universe
Let’s start with one of the most intriguing answers. During the AMA, Newell was asked whether there was any chance of a new IP taking place in the shared Half-Life/Portal universe. His response was a simple “Yep,” which of course has sent the internet into complete meltdown.
A new perspective on this dystopian world would be a great way to bring back Valve as a single-player developer without the incredible weight of hype for the notorious third installment that fans are waiting for. They could venture into new ground in the world they’ve already established, and ease us back into Gordon Freeman’s shoes. Perhaps they could incorporate some of their experimental VR technology too, without disappointing fans by tacking it on to an essential part of the story.
Newell mentioned in another question how he was interested in brain-computer interfaces and A.I. Whilst I’m not holding out hope for a GLaDOS you can plug into your cortex, it will be interesting to see how Valve adapts this burgeoning technology into their new experiences in the future.
Half-Life 3
Ten years after the series’ last release, could Valve still be working on Half-Life 3? One of the best answers in the AMA came when someone asked about the status of the game, to which Newell replied, “The number 3 must not be said.”
Whether this is a good or a bad response is up to the imagination, but he went on to comment on the recent anonymous leaks that detailed the cancellation of the game. His answer was concise and sarcastic: “Yes, I personally believe all unidentified anonymous sources on the internet.”
In this, Newell is pointing out the illegitimacy of the leaks, and is most likely making it clear that the game has not been cancelled. The game has been sat in the engine room of the hype train for 10 years now, and it seems like Valve has certainly been trying to make it, but struggling to realize their vision with the constant changing pace of technology.
Newell went on to talk about his personal opinion towards the Half-Life franchise. He spoke about how his involvement in a “higher percentage of decisions about the games” led him to look upon them as a “series of things I regret.”
He further mentioned how he feels that he had to cut a lot of things and make trade-offs during his time with the series, a key example being the divisive ‘Xen’ portion of Half-Life 1. Newell believes “anything in a game is a sacrifice of things not in the game” and has struggled when being involved in the development process. Hopefully, they’ve worked out the kinks by now and are taking the time to overcome creative obstacles for the third entry.
Left 4 Dead 3
Ever since the leaked screenshots of a prototype rendering of Left 4 Dead 2’s plantation level in Source 2, the internet has been ablaze with rumors over whether Valve would return to their immensely popular zombie co-op franchise. Left 4 Dead still has a tremendously strong presence on Steam, and while it would be amazing to see the game remastered in Source 2, a new game wouldn’t hurt either.
During the AMA, Newell replied to a question on the possibility of a new title, stating “Left 4 Dead is a good place for creating shared narratives” with the rest of his answer talking about their commitment to markets, free-to-play, and user-generated content. While continuing to support their multiplayer games like DOTA and Counter-Strike, it would seem like a no-brainer to release a new Left 4 Dead title, even if it was free-to-play and privy to a community marketplace. As much as the two games in the series are fantastic, it’s been a long time, and they could use a new coat of paint!
While it doesn’t look like there’s a big Valve game right around the corner, this AMA helped us understand that they do have something in the works, and what franchises they’re hopeful to release again.
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