The last released game of the Hal-Life franchise was Half-Life 2, which hit the market back in 2004. Since then a number of rumors and speculations regarding the next iteration of Half-life video game has been building up. However, the developer of the game- Valve Corporation has been extremely tight-lipped when it comes to information regarding Half-Life 3.
The latest reports regarding the game might not be pleasing for fans as they suggest that the game might not happen at all. A reddit user by the name of TeddyWolf, who is also a fan of the game emailed Marc Laidlaw back in January about the whereabouts of the game.
It should be mentioned here that Marc Laidlaw is the creator of the popular Half-Life series. Laidlaw replied to the mail by stating- “Since I no longer speak for Valve, it would be inappropriate for me to answer questions or speculate openly on the fate of the franchise.”
Soon enough the news of his retirement rocked the worlds of Half-Life fans. Laidlaw is not only the creator of the series; he is also a significant contributor to it. His contributions towards the franchise is one of the pillars behind its immense success.
Laidlaw has been a long term employee of Valve. Prior to his retirement, he was a part of the company for a period of 18 years which is definitely quite a long time. He stated that the reason behind his retirement is that he felt that he needed to take a break from the hectic schedule of creating games.
He also added that he felt Valve was his second home and even after retiring from the company, he continues to feel the same way. Laidlaw is currently busy with writing projects that he will himself direct.
Since he was such a major contributor to the Half-Life franchise, his departure put a massive dent in the possibility of a third game. Another blow was dealt to the possible development of the game when the chief animator of the series Doug Wood too retired from the company.
Gabe Newell, the CEO of valve had previously stated that the company is not too keen on developing another iteration of Half-Life game. He referred to the series as a classic and added that he wanted to keep it the way it is.
He also added that if people within Valve feels that they should develop another Half-Life game, it might be done in the future. However, there must be a reasonable explanation as to why the company would go back to developing another Half-Life game.
All these factors considered, it will be safe to state that the future for Half-Life 3 does not look good at the moment.
All being said, reports are also coming in which suggest that the game might actually see a release date in the future. Fans of the series have been quite forthcoming regarding their desire for another Half-Life game.
Apparently, the developers have taken notice of the demand for the game and thus they might release the game in future. Various reports state that an announcement for the game might be made at the Electronic Entertainment Expo which is scheduled for June.
However, if indeed the game is released, it won’t be anytime soon. Chances are quite low that Half-Life 3 will see the light of the day before 2018. It was also reported that the game is being developed with full Virtual Reality support. Thus it will be fully VR compatible when and if it is rolled out.