Half-Life 3 Will Probably Never Happen, Says Valve Insider

[Hawki]

You can't just do that with an unfinished story that had now a total of 6 games in the same genre and then suddenly have the finale in a completely different one.
What Telltale could do would be capable of doing is like the above "Tales", a spinoff set in the same universe that may or may not have some characters of the main franchise. Valve themselves did that with Portal, after all.

Or would you like it when you got a series of games with an unfinished story that are all platformers - just to have the actual finale of the game in a real-time-strategy game just because someone else developed it that is good at making RTS? I don't think so.
And that's what you're proposing here: Have a developer that doesn't even make FPS finish the story of a pure FPS focused series in a complete different genre.

There's kind of a precedent though. Warcraft started off as an RTS series, and WoW picks up right where The Frozen Throne left off and continued the series. I can also think of a few series that, conclusions aside, have continued an overall storyline within different game genres. and that list gets even longer if you account for stylistic changes.

I will say that while Telltale isn't a developer I'd have thought is a natural choice to conclude Half-Life, it does actually have some appeal. Whenever I see people talking about Half-Life 3, it's usually based on wanting to know what happens. It isn't as common (in my experience) to see speculation on what new mechanics it would have implemented. So, if Half-Life concluded in a manner unlike its predecessors, I'd be fine with that, if only because it was an actual conclusion.

The Last Guardian was first shown in 2009 and finally came out a few months ago. Its production began in 2007, the year HL2 Episode Two came out. Half-Life 3's timeframe isn't that unusual. James Cameron wrote Avatar in 1994 and released the movie in 2009, because other things got in the way and the technology wasn't where he needed it to be. Half-Life 2 and its new engine pushed graphics beyond what other games were doing at the time, so it makes sense that HL3 would be another big experiment for them, maybe tying into their VR, controller and other projects. They probably started over at some point, if they're still working on it. They also have a pretty slack work atmosphere. What is the point of announcing a game years and years before it's ready? That's not good for expectations either. People grew bored of The Last Guardian before it was even out. Half-Life is special to Valve, and they probably wanna see the ending like everybody else.

This article isn't news. It's a rumor without a credible source.

Also, I think people are acting too entitled. Valve isn't obligated to make the game. Did they sell a season pass? No.

I don't think people are entitled to a Half-Life 3, and Valve isn't obliged to make it. That's true. However:

-Episode 3 was announced, at least unoficially, so there is a distinct promise of a product that was never delivered.

-"Half-Life is special to Valve." Heh, source?

 

[Zydrate]

Rooster Teeth's news program has some people who said they also had an insider who stated they have the more basic things like story all written out, etc but there's no real personnel on it.

 

[MCerberus]

I believe there's a Friends episode about waiting too long to have sex that fits the HL3 discussion.

I suppose though at this point everything Half-Life has already been surpassed by its competitors and heirs. The proto-sandbox thing going on at the tail end has been realized and now we're starting to get sick of. The scripted action shooters, oh god have those been done to death. And $5 indie titles have done insane things with physics not possible in games during early source.

Shame though, the universe is currently sitting on two cliffhangers and a knee kick to the feels which will never be resolved.

 

[DoPo]

Half-Life: Opposing Force (First HL1 Expansion)
Half-Life: Blue Shift (Second HL1 Expansion)

Worth mentioning that they are "first" and "second" only in terms of release dates - the expansions themselves don't have any "hierarchy" themselves. Both are actually happening at the same time as the main HL is going, only done by two different side characters.

Also, if it matters, Op4 is not considered canon - Race X was somewhat retconned out of existence. Well, technically they had a very similar role as the Combine but apparently weren't the Combine, as they weren't actually there. Since there has been no mention of Shephard at all, I am fairly sure the expansion has been written off. Shame, though, I really liked it.

 

[Bindal]

Half-Life: Opposing Force (First HL1 Expansion)
Half-Life: Blue Shift (Second HL1 Expansion)

Worth mentioning that they are "first" and "second" only in terms of release dates - the expansions themselves don't have any "hierarchy" themselves. Both are actually happening at the same time as the main HL is going, only done by two different side characters.

If we go by that, then Blue Shift is the first, Opposing Force is the second as Opposing Force starts at around the chapter "Forget about Freeman" (excluding the intro which is set probably at around Office Complex), Blue Shift starts parallel with the main game.

Also, if it matters, Op4 is not considered canon - Race X was somewhat retconned out of existence. Well, technically they had a very similar role as the Combine but apparently weren't the Combine, as they weren't actually there. Since there has been no mention of Shephard at all, I am fairly sure the expansion has been written off. Shame, though, I really liked it.

It is considered canon - but the only event Valve decided to mention is the destruction of Black Mesa at the end of Opposing Force. Everything else they try to talk about due being Gearbox invention (and hence property), not their own. Similar how Barney is the only thing that was carried over from Blue Shift.
As for Shephard, last Valve said about him is that "We would like to bring him back but he's technically Gearbox character, so that's making it difficult"

 

[karloss01]

Then how about they do one of two things; either get someone to write a novel to finish the story or sell the IP to a company that will actually give a damn about its history. They're clearly too busy with Steam to actually make games (or even moderate their greenlight/early access games).

 

[Neverhoodian]

Where is the bar?

In Gordon's inventory, I'd wager.

Honestly, I don't think anyone knows whether or not it's going to happen. I wish there was a definitive answer, just so people will stop banging on about it.

 

[Saelune]

The Last Guardian was first shown in 2009 and finally came out a few months ago. Its production began in 2007, the year HL2 Episode Two came out. Half-Life 3's timeframe isn't that unusual. James Cameron wrote Avatar in 1994 and released the movie in 2009, because other things got in the way and the technology wasn't where he needed it to be. Half-Life 2 and its new engine pushed graphics beyond what other games were doing at the time, so it makes sense that HL3 would be another big experiment for them, maybe tying into their VR, controller and other projects. They probably started over at some point, if they're still working on it. They also have a pretty slack work atmosphere. What is the point of announcing a game years and years before it's ready? That's not good for expectations either. People grew bored of The Last Guardian before it was even out. Half-Life is special to Valve, and they probably wanna see the ending like everybody else.

This article isn't news. It's a rumor without a credible source.

Also, I think people are acting too entitled. Valve isn't obligated to make the game. Did they sell a season pass? No.

They kind of are obligated to make it considering they said they would, and sold us essentially an unfinished game. I mean, I am in the camp that they wont ever make it, and if they ever do, well, I bet Duke Nukem Forever will have been more worth it.

But they did promise the game in more ways than 1.

 

[Shadefyre]

Honestly, I'm curious what they're even going to do with Source 2 at this point, aside from VR tech demos. It's very unlikely that they'll do a sequel to anything they've made, to the point where Left 4 Dead 3 seems pretty dead at this point. But by the same token, it seems very unlikely that they'll make anything new ever again. It seems like a problem coming from the combination of their freeform "work on what you want to" structure and their lack of financial pressure that's lead to a complete stagnation of game creation from them, which is a shame with the good folks they've got there.

Of course, it's Valve so any sort of prediction is liable to be some degree of wrong. Maybe they'll turn around a drop an Orange Box level bomb of new content in the next year or two on the unsuspecting public.

 

[Ravinoff]

Rooster Teeth's news program has some people who said they also had an insider who stated they have the more basic things like story all written out, etc but there's no real personnel on it.

That's sort of what I've heard, too. To my understanding, Valve has this dumb corporate structure going where there's really nobody in charge of anything at a high level, so what you get is this weird directionless mess (ie. exactly what you're seeing with Half-Life and TF2). I don't doubt that they've probably got a "team" working on HL3, but it's probably three guys in a back room getting stoned and playing Overwatch.

 

[BoogieManFL]

Making it sound like it's just an impossible feat doesn't really sound like a good reason to me. With the amount of money they make just from Steam sales, how hard could it be to put something together and hire the right writers and so forth?

That being said, it has been a long time..

 

[Callate]

If this were the reality, it would not surprise me.

But I think it's a mistake, and not just because I'd like to see Half-Life 3.

For one thing, I think it could be the only thing with a real chance of getting the Vive into a lot of people's homes, just as the Orange Box originally got Steam onto a lot of people's computers. It might seem far-fetched that people would pay $800 for HL3, but I'm not sure that isn't the truth.

(All this assuming it came out as a Vive exclusive, of course... And subsequently, if it failed to blow minds, it would make CS:Go gambling and microtransactions seem like a whimsical pratfall by comparison. But that does bring up the second point

It doesn't need to be mind-blowing. It doesn't need to revolutionize the industry like Half-Life and HL2 did (which is, I suspect, where the real mental hurdle exists.) It just needs to be solid and good.

"Marvel" good, you might say. I would argue that Marvel hasn't made a really bad movie in its superhero line-up, starting with Iron Man, yet. Even the ones that lose some luster on later consideration or don't make you want to stand up and cheer are still well-crafted and watchable. Even The Hulk. And Thor. And Iron Man 2.

Valve doesn't have to "change the game"; it just needs to do what it did before, well. The world that felt like there were answers to your questions, even if they weren't immediately apparent. The pacing, moving between character, puzzles, and action. The difficulty that was hard enough to challenge but never so hard to make one put it aside. The subtle touches that built mood into every antlion cave, resistance safe-house, and zombie-infested quarantine zone.

And if it would genuinely be the final chapter, they should wrap up their loose ends.

If they could take their time and make a solid game- preferably without leaking everything long before it came to market- I think they would be surprised how pleased the reception would be.

They just can't Duke Nukem Forever it.

 

[Auron225]

I'm fine with them not making a HL3 - it's clearly the last thing on Earth they'd be caught dead doing. But at the very least, can they not just finish the damn story? I don't care if it's a Word document released online, or even a blog post. I don't think it's too much to ask if someone is telling me a story, that I have the assurance that there is in fact an ending to it. It's not that it keeps me up at night - but whenever I do think about the Half Life series, I inevitably remember that stupid kick-in-the-feels cliffhanger.

Just tell me what happens!!

 

[Zulnam]

UPDATE: After looking over the original interview, i have to say, it looks a bit fake.

I can understand them. HL has affected games and generations of gamers like few other titles. If the dev team at Valve is passionate about the industry, they're passionate about the title. Imagine, having so much responsibility. To bring forth the most anticipated game in the world. The desire to do absolutely everything right would either cause performance anxiety or project management blundering (ala Duke Nukem Forever).

At the same time, parallel projects in the same world would be possible, but it is clear by now that it's not something they are very focused on doing. Telling the story of a combine-turned-rebel might be interesting, but again bringing it in the fray after so long will only get more keyboard warriors to ***** about how their precious mute isn't in the story.


Never say never, however; unless you're giving an example of what you should never say.

 

[Czann]

OK, Half-Life 3 is dead. The IP is dead. We accept it.

But it is a shame that the third episode of the DLC expansions for HL2 will never be made as well. The damn episode 2 ends in a cliffhanger and it will never have a resolution.

Valve is a mess.

 

[Quellist]

Seems believable to me, especially the Phantom Menace comparison, though possibly Duke Nukem Forever might be a better example. Best to let it die quietly

 

[spartandude]

...Valve's a games developer?

Come here, son. And I shall tell you of a tale from a time long forgotten.

 

[Saelune]

The Last Guardian was first shown in 2009 and finally came out a few months ago. Its production began in 2007, the year HL2 Episode Two came out. Half-Life 3's timeframe isn't that unusual. James Cameron wrote Avatar in 1994 and released the movie in 2009, because other things got in the way and the technology wasn't where he needed it to be. Half-Life 2 and its new engine pushed graphics beyond what other games were doing at the time, so it makes sense that HL3 would be another big experiment for them, maybe tying into their VR, controller and other projects. They probably started over at some point, if they're still working on it. They also have a pretty slack work atmosphere. What is the point of announcing a game years and years before it's ready? That's not good for expectations either. People grew bored of The Last Guardian before it was even out. Half-Life is special to Valve, and they probably wanna see the ending like everybody else.

This article isn't news. It's a rumor without a credible source.

Also, I think people are acting too entitled. Valve isn't obligated to make the game. Did they sell a season pass? No.

They kind of are obligated to make it considering they said they would, and sold us essentially an unfinished game. I mean, I am in the camp that they wont ever make it, and if they ever do, well, I bet Duke Nukem Forever will have been more worth it.

But they did promise the game in more ways than 1.

They're good, finished games, with prices appropriate for their lengths. Valve doesn't owe you anything.

I'm sad about The Sword of Doom never getting a sequel and Shigurui, Berserk and Deadwood not being renewed, but I'm not gonna pretend I wasn't entertained and didn't feel rewarded for my time.

Remember the part where everything was solved? Me neither.

Imagine if Lord of the Rings ended with The Two Towers.

 

[Souplex]

...And nothing of value was lost.