Valve data miner Tyler McVicker has uncovered clues that some Half a life may be in dynamic development at Valve. Although we are not yet at the “Half Life 3 “confirmed!”, for the first time in a while, the prospects for a new non-VR game in the series look promising.
In 2021 we witnessed the release of Half-Life: Alyx. Despite critical acclaim, the game was VR exclusive, meaning those without headsets couldn’t experience the latest installment in Valve’s long-running series. Still, it was a positive sign that Valve was ready to return to its iconic franchise, giving hope that Half Life 3 may finally be on its way. 2007 Half-Life 2: Episode Two this is the last time we saw something that is not VR Half a lifeso realistically the wait could be as long as two decades before the studio releases anything.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, McVicker confirmed the numerous reasons he believes Half Life 3 is likely in development at Valve. Datamining allowed him to find strings in updates for Source 2 titles Counterattack 2 AND Dota2referring to the game codenamed HLXwhere the playable character wears a HEV suit. Sound familiar? This character goes to a location called “Offworld”, with references to NPCs “Xengorrilla” and “Xenjellyfish”. It couldn’t sound more familiar Half a life.
According to McVicker, these strings come from various updates to the aforementioned titles. He has gathered evidence over time to confirm his suspicions that this project is in the works. His speculation continues, connecting the dots here with actress Natasha Chandel’s resume. She recently revealed the existence of a Valve project codenamed White Sands Project via her CV before it was quickly deleted.
So it looks like Valve might be working on a single-player mode Half a life game with a hero wearing a HEV suit. But is that Actually Half Life 3? When asked what his beliefs were based on the current findings, McVicker said: “I have to be very careful answering that question… But yes.”
While there’s no way to confirm whether this is the case, it does provide a glimmer of hope for those who have been waiting nearly two decades for something recent. In the meantime, keep playing Black Mesa and dreaming about what could have been.
