If Valve had a nickel for every time someone asked this question of them, the game developer would have millions in store.
The ever elusive title, which has been anticipated for almost a decade, is still nowhere to be seen. Even as fans launch an insurmountable barrage of questions to the developers each day, demanding answers and information on the game, Valve continues to be silent about it, dropping hints and fueling rumors.
The Release Date
Recently, at a gaming event, it seemed as if Valve had accidentally announced the pending release of Half Life 3. The internet went quickly abuzz about rumors surrounding Valve and the impending release of one of the most anticipated games. The classic first person shooter was a favorite with many and though there have been some puzzle based games set in the Half Life universe, ever since the release of the second episode of Half Life 2, there have been no attempts at the launch of a full-fledged title.
The Founder Speaks
Recently, the Washington Post interviewed Gabe Newell, the founder of Valve. During this interview, there were many pointed questions regarding the release of Half Life 3. Newell finally spilled the beans on what has been happening with the title. Half Life 2, a game that was created with much passion, had a rather poor reception. The success of Half Life 2 wasn’t even comparable to that of the original installment of the game. However, that was not the only reason why Valve chose not to pursue the game any further. Despite the lukewarm reception of Half Life 2, Valve could have still made a lot of money from the franchise. However, in the time since the launch of the last installment in the franchise, Valve has grown into a larger company from a one man show. In fact, the company also changed its direction and started making more complex multiplayer games. This made them move away from the first person shooter games such as Half Life.
Why Multiplayer Games?
This has been an often repeated question to Newell. There is yet to be a commercially successful multiplayer game, then why would Valve chase after success in that genre? The simple thing is that since no one has been able to do it yet, Valve would like to be the first ones. Newell and his team worked on Steam, which was once thought to be a very bad idea, set up for failure right from the start. Steam went on to be successful, boosting the company’s morale only further. They now believed that they could achieve what others could not, with even more conviction than before. It would perhaps be because of Steam, that Valve may not want to work on Half Life any sooner. Right now, Valve has its hands full and they know what the world wants from it. They feel that the time for first person shooters has passed and it is time to focus on multiplayer games, which is exactly what they are doing, and doing successfully.
Related ItemsHalf Life 3
