Valve's Marc Laidlaw Responds To Recent "Half Life 3 Will Never Release" Rumour

A new rumour surrounding Half Life 3 surfaced yesterday, suggesting that even though the game’s script has been completed, it won’t be ever released due to fear. Naturally, fans contacted Marc Laidlaw who decided to respond and comment on this recent Half Life 3 rumour.

[NobodyEpic]

Am i the only one who didn't really like the Half Life series?

I did enjoy Portal though.

[NotanotherReboot]

Half Life 2 is the best game ever m8

[Rimeskeem]

it was revolutionary at its time but i feel like games have bettered it now.

[Eamon]

Most fps still haven't reached the level of genius that is Half-Life 2.

[nveenio]

Half Life 2 still holds up well. Just play it again. It's fun, fast, and has a great story.

[AndrewLB]

It's in my top 5.

What drives everyone nuts is how they ended Episode 2 with the most heart crushing cliff-hanger I can ever recall in a video game.

Valve had planned on an Episode 3 which everyone thought would be relased in a couple years max. It's been what? 8 years now? Then to thoroughly annoy everyone, that fat pr*ck Gabe decides to wear a Half-Life 3 t-shirt to some public event just to f**k with everyone.

[subtenko]

I like all the game engines and mods that it helped sprout. HL2 inspired a lot, thats what I like about it the most.

[Yetter]

tried playing it not to long ago. It has not aged well

[booflax]

I feel it's still the best FPS. I do not think any game has "bettered" it since it came out. It's actually depressing how it's been 14 years and not a single FPS has come even close to HL2's gunplay, level design, story, art style, revolutionary physics engine, innovative gravity gun.

The only game I can think of that might come close is Bioshock/ and Bioshock Infinite. But I'd say those games are slightly worse than HL2. Great attempts though.

[MAULxx]

Love Half-Life.
Portal... not so much.
I'd take a HL2 with ep 1 & 2 remastered on PS4 if they're not going to make 3.

[scark92]

I adore the series personally

[Mega24]

Did you played Half-Life on it's prime? I did, and I love it. A revolutionary game for it's time.

[AnotherProGamer]

You didn't have to play it at its time to enjoy it

I played Half Life for the first time in 2010 and it became my favorite game ever

[darksied]

I played the first one when it came out. Great game, loved it.

Portal series is awesome.

For me though, Half Life 2 was technically great, but so amazingly boring. Having every single person exclaim in surprise when you show up and hail you as some type of superhero when you were supposed to be some generic nobody was really annoying. That's why I like the first one. You ARE a nobody who eventually does good. The 2nd one ... ugh, so annoying. Gameplay was good though.

[-Gespenst-]

I don't really feel any game has done what Half Life did better than Half Life. But then again, most games have different creative visions behind them. Half Life has it's own atmosphere and vibe going on that's pretty inimitable, and it really has to be experienced. It doesn't matter how old or "dated" it is. Games can be atmospheric and impactful and memorable without being cutting edge. They also don't have to be realistic to be any of those things.

I don't think HL will ever be topped, but I think many unique games will be made that are equally good in their own way. Any attempts to imitate HL will look silly and cheap, best to have your own vision.

[SlightlyRetarted]

It's like over a year since i last played HL1 and it's still golden. Aged really well. If you're talking about "intelligent" FPS's, i think first Bioshock topped HL.

[SlightlyRetarted]

Love the first one, but i don't really like HL2.

[Scatpants]

I felt that it was average at best.

[OhMyGandhi]

how so? genuinely curious.

[Scatpants]

Gunplay was average, level design was below average and story was good but not great.

[rainslacker]

Yes....you are.

That being said, I kind of feel that there is absolutely no way that HL could live up to the hype that surrounds the series. The expectations of it are going to be immense, and while it is still one of the best FPS available, there are others which do some things better, so HL3 will have to become better and once again reclaim the FPS crown, otherwise, it's going to be a disappointment and get immense criticism.

Even if it is the best FPS ever made, we all know it's going to get tons of hate just to drive hits and some fan boy agendas.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

A man can still go back and enjoy HL2. HL1 is a little dated but there are updated versions that make it great (other than the platforming at the end). The gravity gun is still loads of fun to use. Only Resistance 3 is a greater FPS. All-time shooters its right up there for most people. Of course some people aren't gonna like it that's human nature.

[LAWSON72]

Resistance 3 better than HL2 lol

[OhMyGandhi]

weird. I hated resistance 3. absolutely mindless.
The second one had it's moments, but Insomniac really shine when do their ratchet and clank games. Not every developer needs to pull a Naughty Dog and go from Crash to Last of Us, or Sucker Punch with Sly Cooper to Infamous.

[Orionsangel]

Forget about liking the series. I mean that's not even the point. I wouldn't care if they never made another Half-Life game. I can deal with it. What I can't deal with is ending on a cliff hanger and never giving us another game to continue the story. Screw Valve for that most of all!

[Azzanation]

Half Life is the greatest game ever made in many peoples opinions, its the one game series that would have over shadowed FF7 at E3 if it was announced. There true masterpieces.

[Clown_Syndr0me]

I found it incredibly boring. First played it on The Orange Box, maybe it was too late and Id have liked it if I played it on original release.

[FragMnTagM]

It is so much better on PC.

[AndreR]

i did not like half life. its a good and scary game, but i dont play horror games at all. I only played half life 1 multiplayer deathmatch, that was really fun.

[DragonKnight]

Since everyone is trying to tell you that the game is great and you're the only one that didn't like it, I'm going to tell you that I don't like 99% of shooters so I don't like the Half-Life series.

[Yetter]

nope, you're not the only one

[NotanotherReboot]

I can feel a poo coming, I'm so excited cos I love the feeling of having a poo

[StarElite]

Yeah, yeah nobody has to know that.

[MasterCornholio]

So you intensity your pleasures of gaming by gaming while taking a dump.

;)

[Theangrybogan]

Isn't that what mobile games are for?

[dillhole]

have a good one!

[-Foxtrot]

The way they've treat Half Life fans has been disgusting.

Valve don't seem to give a crap about gaming these days...the people who got them where they are today

[Rimeskeem]

I agree, HL fans would give their heart and soul to valve to see HL3. What does valve do? absolutely nothing.

But Naughty Dog has explained quite thoroughly why they cant make it. They said they even tried but just dont have the passion for it at the moment. Valve barely answers questions about Half life 3 anymore.

plus Naughty Dog isn't nearly as big as Valve

But i still want Jak 4

[NotanotherReboot]

Naughty Dog is the same with Jak IV

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

No! They can't make Jak 4 because the creators aren't at ND anymore. To Do another Jak game, it requires to be rebooted, and that's the fear of ND. They started it and didn't work. Then TLOU was born. That isn't nearly the same as Hal Life 3

[rainslacker]

What more can Valve say about HL3 though? I mean, every question outside of story and release date has been answered. That's about the only thing people ask anymore, and I'd imagine Valve is tired of talking about that, and the fans/people were getting kind of tired of them saying they have no plans.

I dunno about if they have a passion for it. Their involvement in making actual games in house has been rather sparse overall.

HL3 would be a stressful undertaking, because it would have a lot to live up to.

[spacedelete]

they have so much money coming from Steam they feel like they don't have to make games anymore. same as Rockstar who have done nothing except milk GTAV since 2013 and haven't made a single new game other than ports of GTAV since 2012. Max Payne 3 was the last game they made that wasn't just ports of GTAV.

[SlightlyRetarted]

But to be fair, Rockstar releases quite rarely games compared to other large companies. No one knows what they have coming because they have quite long development times and they like to stay quiet of their projects. GTAV released just 2 years ago and on the edge of the new generation. Of course there will be ports for both gens.

[jdaboss]

then dont end a f@cking game on a cliffhanger if you think youre above making games.

[Perjoss]

"they have so much money coming from Steam they feel like they don't have to make games anymore"

If this was really the case why did they make Dota 2 and whey are they even bothering with VR. After the big Half Life 2 leak they are entitled to keep things under wraps until they are ready to be shown off.

Dota 2 is only 2 years old and they actively keep their games patched (CS:GO, TF2 and L4D2). If they had totally bowed out of games development then they would not be maintaining these games so well.

[JWiLL552]

Rockstar actually released 5 games last gen.

GTA 4, Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire, Max Payne 3, GTA 5.

Not all the same studio of course, but it was more prolific than they usually are.

(Actually it's 6 counting that ping pong game!)

[sinspirit]

They're not going to release a bad sequel. That is like asking System Of A Down to release a new album. They already said they were working on new material since they got back together but not releasing anything that doesn't succeed what came before.

If they don't have a proper story and events planned then don't make it. That is what they are doing.

[-Foxtrot]

Oh come on it's been long enough. With all the resources and time they've had they could have made an amazing sequel years ago.

[sinspirit]

Try reading the Berserk manga and see how the wait time is. Every single thing the author writes he makes sure does not cause a loophole, conflict, etcetera. It's not just a story. It's an entire world.

If it is not in the artists vision then it is not art as you have seen in the previous entries. It's complicated. I draw garbage if I don't feel like it. When I know what I want to draw and an in the mood I create insanely detailed subjects and scenery. It's just a wallyou can't fight.

Would you rather more Halo games as well or are loopholes, inconsistencies, and rinse and repeat good enough if it has the skin of the previous games over it? They want a experience to be proud of. Not to break sales records or make money. Those are just byproducts of the vision that they wanted their true fans to see and support.

[Kalebninja]

I don't even care if it comes out anymore my hype died after that march 3rd bullshit.

[AtariFanboy]

Valve is making too much money to care about Half Life 3. If the script really is complete they should release it and let the fans who made Black Mesa make Half Life 3.

[spacedelete]

i don't get why people like Valve games. i played the Valve collection on PS3 and not only was that port awful but it was boring as hell.

[MAULxx]

Yeah, I think EA ported the PS3 version. I tried to play it and it looks like Vaseline being smeared all over the screen whenever you move. 360 version was far better.
HL2 was one of those games I played multiple times on PC & then on 360. It was awesome, especially for its time. Love it! It makes you stop and listen, seek out the story.

[FragMnTagM]

Valve games are waaaaaaaayyy better on PC. The orange box on either platform pales in comparison to the PC versions.

[raggy-rocket]

It's hard to explain, Half-Life is and isn't my favourite game series. It's something else entirely. The experiences of Portal, half life and left 4 dead were so pure and unique I couldn't compare them to other games. They aren't my favourite games, they're....Vale games. A WHOLE different subset that appeals to me on so many levels and I anticipate the next half-life, Portal(the most) and left 4 dead more so than any of my 'favourite' game franchises.

He's so right. Half life doesn't have a story, Half-life IS the story. I won't insult them as I don't know anything about their internal processes. I only hope it's not due to laziness but crazily detailed and unique story writing and game development in a truly VALVE engine. I sincerely hope we have a sequel to those three franchises as they have such compelling, unique and interlocking story, gameplay and lore like no other game universe out there.

Bring me Half-life Portal 4 dead 3 B*****s

[-Gespenst-]

I agree. It's so hard to put a finger on why, but games like Half Life and Portal just have something cool going on - some quality to them that's just so elusive but so compelling. I just hope Valve doesn't lose touch with what makes their games so great.

[JasonKCK]

Wouldn't say no to some L4D3

[esemce]

I've had a feeling for years that they don't want to realese it as they know it can never live up to the hype.

Half Life 3 was 'finished' and ready for release years ago.

[Tumaras]

The HL franchise was pretty good, but definitely good enough for people to be sitting on the edge of their seat for 10 years waiting for HL3. I would go so far as to say it's pretty overrated. The gfx and gameplay were pretty cutting edge for the time. But now there are loads of other great games in that genre. That's the only reason devs haven't put out HL3, because people are bound to be disappointed.

[Kalebninja]

I'd rather be dissapointed and receive closure than not know what happens.

[FlexLuger]

@kalebninja

Exactly. Its the closure thats needed. Even shenmue is getting its finale. why not half life 3?

[ginsunuva]

Like DNF?

[rainslacker]

The game itself was pretty darn good. Moreso, it actually brought something new to the FPS genre, and that's an actual story that was compelling. The hype comes from how it made people feel back in the day, not really how they stood up over time. I agree there are better FPS out there now, and ones that have better stories, but HL was always one of those fond memory kind of deals.

[FlexLuger]

I just wish these articles would go away. Im so sick of my feeling being played with like this! lol

Halflife is one of my fave all time shooters along with the MP game it spawned, counterstrike. They copped out on the whole episodic idea..ok..cool..just give us the third game and wrap it up.I have to wonder what valves game designers do all day. Even portal 2 was ages ago, aside from team fortress updates, I struggle to find a reason why half life 3 has not happened yet.

[rainslacker]

I always preferred Team Fortress myself. Loved sniping people in that one map with the bridge between the two buildings. Even though it was a quake mod, I always associated it with HL because it was used as a way to show off their SDK for the engine, and I didn't know it was a Quake mod at the time.

[FlexLuger]

"I always associated it with HL because it was used as a way to show off their SDK for the engine, and I didn't know it was a Quake mod at the time."

I didnt know this either. till now. I still play TF2 on my PC. That game has legs for years. Ill probably still be playing it in 2020! lol

[Relientk77]

I wish Valve could go back to school to learn how to count to 3

[Spyroo]

They don't need to bother after getting do much money they betrayed their fans

[BumpFrankie]

I'm hopeful that valve will start to reveal some new games, albeit sequels or new IPs, after they finish porting their current money makers(dota2, TF2, and CS:GO) to the new Source 2 engine. I still wouldn't be surprised if they also decided to just stop making new games altogether and just rake in their millions with their current line-ups. I do feel totally shafted as a consumer and huge fan that they ended HL2E2 on that cliffhanger only to never finish the story. Even having Marc Laidlaw writing a book that finishes the story would be nice!

[ginsunuva]

Why would they make HL3 and have it bring in maximum 5% the revenue Steam already does.

[windblowsagain]

Actually HL1 is the better game, while HL2 has a decent story and good graphics for the time, but was far too easy.

I would love to see a 3rd game.

[AtomHeart623]

I think the half-life games are some of the most overrated games ever. It's almost like the video game hipster thing to do is to say half life 2 is the best game ever. I could name hundreds of games that are better. To each is own of course but I could care less if HL3 ever sees the light of day.

[DillyDilly]

At this point the Advent Rising trilogy will get finished one day before this gets made

[BG11579]

This kind of like when Square said they would never do a FF7 remake...
When I read this, my mind only can say, Half-life 3 confirmed!!!

[Spyroo]

Nah.
Atleast Square cares about their fans and continued even making games, but Valve however after releasing their games they continuously get so much money they don't care or bother for half life 3 anymore. They don't even make anything 3 anymore

[Tornadobounce]

Ill take half life over most games it was just fkn spot on ey. For me, gaming is dead. I don't own a next gen console yet and ill probably only get one when fallout 4 is out

[Spyroo]

Half Life is overated.

[Tzuno]

It will happen even if it takes years, they want to surprise the world when it happens.

[LoveSpuds]

I honestly am not bothered any more, the games play an important part in the history and progression of the genre but personally, I have moved on.

Dont get me wrong, if a HL3 were released I would play it, but I am not pining for it either, there are many other series I care a lot more about.

[aerisbueller]

L4d3,hl3,and portal 3 were all waiting for source 3 engine which had been in development for a long time. Valve has a lot going on (steam, steamvr , steambox, steamos to name a few) , and a small dev team compared to most the more prolific triple-a devs. I wonder and kinda hope that one of the 3 will require steamvr.

[rick4691]

I moved on and accepted the fact that it will never come out. Sucks it happened the way it did, but it's Valve. How can anyone be surprised.

[Whitey2k]

I want episode 3 I've played one and two I want them to make the final episode where alx got taken away