On 10th October 2007, Valve launched Half-Life 2: Episode 2, the continuation of Gordon Freeman’s story as he and his associates fought to free the human race from the oppression of the alien Mix. The ending supplied little or no in the way in which of closure, establishing numerous plot factors for Half-Life three – a sequel that has by no means arrived. Excluding 2011’s Portal 2, the Half-Life universe has remained fully dormant for nearly ten years, which is a disgrace when Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are usually thought-about to be two of the very best video games each made.  Valve has been quiet concerning the franchise’s future, resulting in the favored ‘Half-Life three confirmed’ meme, the place any small trace of the sequel’s existence is shortly spun out of proportion. That mentioned, the corporate hasn’t been fully silent. So we have gathered all the pieces we at present find out about Half_Life three into this useful information.Minimize to the chaseWhat is it? The long-awaited, and long-absent, continuation of the Half-Life sagaWhen can I play it? With nothing formally introduced it will not be anytime soonHalf-Life three or Episode three?Again when Valve introduced Half Life 2 can be getting episodic sequels, it revealed that there have been plans to launch three of them over the course of the following couple of years. They’d collectively kind what was basically a 3rd Half Life recreation. The thought was that improvement on an episode wouldn’t take so long as a full sequel, so followers might proceed Gordon Freeman’s journey sooner – albeit in smaller portions.Half Life 2: Episode three was by no means launched, and over time individuals ultimately simply began referring to it as Half-Life three – assuming that Valve was engaged on a fully-fledged sequel quite than a model new episode. That is tenuously corroborated by leaks and an announcement from Gabe Newell declaring that the developer was carried out with the episodic mannequin as gamers realize it.However as one nameless supply informed Sport Informer, there isn’t any such factor as Half Life three. Not in accordance with Valve anyway. The corporate introduced three extra episodes, two of which have been launched, and nothing extra. The supply referred to the fixed speak of ‘Half Life three’ as each a fantasy and wishful considering. Whether or not it’s known as Episode three or Half Life three, individuals are speaking about the identical factor – a sequel to Episode 2 that can proceed the story and remedy the cliffhanger ending we have been left with.What Valve has informed usWhile Valve has been very quiet the previous a number of years, within the years earlier than (and simply after) the discharge of Episode 2, it was extra forthcoming with data. How a lot of it’s nonetheless related is unclear, however Gabe Newell did affirm that gamers would retain management of motion hero physicist Gordon Freeman. He later acknowledged that Gordon would go unchanged in Episode three, so he would “largely stay an arm and a crowbar”. Newell additionally confirmed that he won’t ever communicate, since his companions are a “extra fruitful avenue to discover”.Doug Lombardi, Valve’s VP of selling, additionally confirmed that the story wouldn’t return to Metropolis 17, and that the builders had put a whole lot of work into “making a pure progress of topography and local weather”.Newell additionally confirmed that Episode three, because it was then identified, would end the story arc that started in Half Life 2. Whereas he spoke of the potential for a fourth episodic instalment, he confirmed that it could be stand-alone and developed exterior of Valve. It was later revealed to have been in improvement at Dishonored builders Arkane Studios and titled Return to Ravenholme. Sadly it was cancelled.Former franchise author Marc Laidlaw additionally confirmed to PC Gamer that Episode three wouldn’t have had a particular conclusion, very similar to Half Life and Half Life 2. The plot abstract that he later launched appeared to verify this. As an alternative the sport would maintain issues open so new group might ultimately develop sequels. Laidlaw additionally claimed to have “no concept” if the sport would ever get launched or not.A attainable plot summaryIn August 2017, longtime Half-Life author Marc Laidlaw posted a brief story titled ‘Epistle three’ on his private weblog. Though the author referred to the publish as a ‘fanfic’ it is fairly clear that the publish is a thinly veiled plot abstract of what would have been Half-Life 2: Episode three, albeit with a lot of the identify’s modified and everybody’s gender’s reversed. If you would like to learn the publish with the identify’s and gender’s corrected then you are able to do so on GitHub, the place somebody has transcribed the entire brief story. Though it is price studying the publish in its entirety, it seems the plot of the sport would have adopted Gordon and Alyx as they journeyed to the Borealis, which might have been discovered to be phasing out and in of existence. After a protracted battle they might have ultimately have rigged the ship to journey to the center of the Mix empire and explode, thus releasing the human race from their enslavement. Like earlier Half-Life video games, Gordon would have been left in limbo, saved from the explosion by the Vortigaunts. Leaked Idea ArtDespite the truth that Valve has seldom spoken about Half Life three, not to mention launched gameplay materials, we’ve had a good bit of idea artwork hit the web over the previous decade. Whereas it’s not fairly the identical as in-game renders of a trailer, it’s nonetheless one thing. Usually it would give us some hints at what to anticipate, however given the period of time for the reason that artwork first floor, the character of the sport might have drastically modified.The primary items arrived on-line in 2007 and 2008, showcasing a few of the attainable settings:Picture 1 of 3Image 2 of 3Image three of 3Some extra idea artwork arrived in 2012, and if legit reveals off all kinds of environments the gamers can discover.Valve has but to touch upon its validity, and because it’s normally fairly fast to dismiss fakes this has led some to take a position that that is the actual deal.Picture 1 of 3Image 2 of 3Image three of 3Counter Strike co-creator Minh Lee has additionally admitted to seeing some idea artwork himself. “I do not assume I can discuss that, to be sincere,” he mentioned. “I feel it is form of public information that individuals know that it’s being labored on. And so if I have been to say that, yeah, I’ve seen some pictures, like some idea artwork of it, that would not be huge information to be sincere. I assume I might say that I did see one thing that seemed kinda like within the Half-Life universe.And I imply it would not shock anybody if I mentioned they’re doing it, they’re engaged on it, yeah. So to exit on a limb I would say I did some idea artwork for Half-Life three.”March 2008 additionally noticed the discharge of what seems to be Alyx Vance idea artwork on the Picasa web page belonging to Valve illustrator Andrea Wicklund. The photographs have been shortly eliminated, however not earlier than being saved and redistributed elsewhere.Richochet 2Fans have been pestering Gabe Newell and Valve over time, getting an increasing number of artistic as time goes on. One fascinating methodology from the Seven Day Cooldown podcast is notable as a result of it truly received a response from Newell. All they needed to do was ask a few sequel to Ricochet – a recreation usually thought-about Valve’s worst.”By way of Ricochet 2, we all the time have this downside that once we discuss issues too far upfront, we find yourself altering our minds as we’re going by way of and growing stuff, in order we’re considering by way of the large story arc which is Ricochet 2, you may get to some extent the place you are saying one thing is shocking us in a constructive approach and one thing is shocking us in a detrimental approach, and, you already know, we might prefer to be super-transparent about the way forward for Ricochet 2. The issue is, we predict that the twists and turns that we’re going by way of would in all probability drive individuals extra loopy than simply being silent about it, till we may be very crisp about what’s occurring subsequent.”And after he was requested if the undertaking had slowed down:”No, everyone who has labored on Ricochet 2 continues to work on Ricochet 2 [laughs].”Whereas Newell might sincerely be speaking a few sequel to Ricochet, everybody has assumed he performed together with the joke and was truly speaking about Half Life three.Reddit AMAIn January of this 12 months Gabe Newell went onto Reddit to participate in an AMA (Ask Me Something), which followers naturally used to ask some questions on the way forward for the Half Life/Portal universe. He did reply just a few of them, although he didn’t reveal a complete lot.Picture 1 of 5Image 2 of 5Image three of 5Image four of 5Image 5 of 5He expanded upon the earlier reply when somebody tried to additional clarify it.Different Rumours and SpeculationOne huge attainable plot level that has popped up over the previous decade is that Valve have been trying into incorporating a deaf character into the sequence. It was designed as a function to higher help listening to impaired gamers, with Newell suggesting that Alyx Vance might have had a crush on a deaf resistance member earlier than Half Life 2 and programmed Canine with signal language so she might follow. This character ended up elsewhere, and he instructed Alyx and Canine would proceed to signal to speak in secret.In 2010 Newell additionally hinted that the following Half life recreation would return the franchise to its psychological horror roots, exploiting followers’ darkest fears within the course of.It was later instructed that Half life three might incorporate components of multiplayer gaming, after Geoff Keighley revealed Portal 2 would be the final Valve recreation with an ‘remoted single-player expertise’. Newell later clarified this, saying that it didn’t essentially imply the tip of single-player Valve video games. He intends future video games to contain one thing known as ‘single-player plus’, which embrace social parts that Newell believes enhance the worth of leisure.Sport Informer’s supply, who supposedly labored for Valve sooner or later doesn’t consider there might be one other Half Life recreation. They declare that each time a Half Life initiatives begins gaining any momentum it finally ends up dying off – a course of that makes it tougher for one thing new to take its place. They likened the sport to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, with expectations so excessive that the inevitable response might be disappointment. In keeping with them, there are individuals inside Valve who wish to use the Half Life IP for varied various things, however they have been contemplations and by no means significantly thought-about by Valve as a complete. Not a part of a grand plan, at any price, since that isn’t how Valve operates.Sport Informer stresses that the data is from one unverified supply, so take that data with a wholesome dose of scepticism. However what they revealed does make some sense, even when it’s a pessimistic view of the franchise’s’ future.Half-Life three stays unconfirmedThe extra time has handed, the extra Valve has stored quiet about the way forward for the Half Life franchise. It’s straightforward to take a position that Valve is perfecting the sport, and fine-tuning issues as gaming advances, however the actuality is that Valve doesn’t actually need to make a brand new Half Life recreation to achieve success. Steam is the most well-liked digital storefront in PC gaming, and Counter-Strike: International Offensive and DOTA 2 entice hundreds of thousands of gamers who in flip buy in-game objects with actual money. Whereas many recreation studios must maintain making video games to remain afloat, the Steam market signifies that in the end Valve doesn’t. What this implies for Half Life isn’t very clear. Video video games get cancelled on a regular basis, and it’s uncommon that most people is ever knowledgeable of the information till a number of years have handed. The very best case situation is that the sport stays in lively improvement, however with Valve prioritising its assets elsewhere. The worst, and seemingly almost certainly situation at this level, is that it’s lifeless and can by no means see the sunshine of day.However stranger issues have occurred. Perhaps we are going to see Half Life three sooner or later, or possibly we received’t. Like Schrodinger’s cat we exist in a state the place both is feasible. We simply want Valve to open up the field and put our minds at relaxation.