Half-Life fans, keep your fingers crossed. Rumors have been circulating which seem to suggest that the highly anticipated "Half-Life 3" might be in the offing with a release date speculated to be sometime in 2018.
But don't don't be too surprised if it doesn't; Half-Life producer Valve Corporation is still mum on the issue. Yes, the company has been consistently quiet on the subject, neither denying or confirming its existence. In fact, the subject of a possible "Half-Life 3," or "Half-Life 2 Version 3" in some nomenclature, have become some sort of a vaporware legend in gaming circles.
But why this recent resurrection of an obviously old topic? Well, insider information as usual. According to The News Independent, gaming insiders are convinced that "Half-Life 3" will be released in 2018. The sources even speculate that Valve would soon be announcing the new game at the 2017 E3 event.
What's more exciting is that if rumors are correct, the new "Half-Life 3" will be offered in full VR. Gaming analysts point out that Valve has already access to VR gaming technology because of Steam's familiarity with the HTC Vive, the VR headset co-developed by HTC and Valve.
The general consensus among gamers is that the next installation of the highly successful game is long overdue. It's been 12 years since "Half-Life 2" was introduced back in 2004. It is understandable that game fans would be clamoring for "Half-Life 3" by now reports Master Herald. In fact, other games have probably introduced more than 2 upgraded versions for the same period.
One can't help but wonder why Valve seemed hesitant to make a sequel to its highly successful "Half-Life 2." Apparently, there are two possible reasons for the stalled production "Half-Life 3."
First is that a person who was very important in the development of Half-Life left the Valve Corporation. Marc Laidlaw, the game's chief writer as well as its creative director is credited to be behind the storylines of the previous Half-Life games. Undoubtedly, it would be challenging to come up with a new game without his creative guidance.
Another reason for this delay is that Valve's CEO Gabe Newell was not very keen on coming up with a "Half-Life 3" in the past. The company focused on developing other highly successful games such as DoTA 2, Counter-Strike, Portal and Left 4 Dead.
But perhaps the time has finally come for a Half Life upgrade. For now, gamers can do nothing but wait for the rumored announcement of the new "Half-Life 3" in the E3 event next year with its actual confirmation of a release date. For now, enjoy some interesting facts on the game.