Orbifold Studios, an independent, community-run developer, is working on an ambitious, RTX-powered remaster of the legendary Half-Life 2. Though clearly endorsed or at least tolerated by Valve, given its availability on Steam, the original Half-Life 2 creator doesn’t appear to have any direct involvement with the mod’s development. But that doesn’t mean that Valve can’t capitalize on it.
Half-Life 2, like Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2, is something of a bittersweet game. On the one hand, it was a revolutionary release, forever changing how AAA developers viewed storytelling in the FPS genre, and it still holds up today. Even its visuals, which certainly don’t hold a candle to modern releases, are shockingly appealing and impressive even 20 years later. On the other hand, the game is a constant reminder of Valve’s famous phobia of the number 3, as the story of Half-Life remains incomplete, with no news about a third game on the horizon. It has been nothing short of disappointing for fans of the Half-Life series to sit by, year after year, without hearing a word of confirmation about a proper conclusion to the story, but Valve may have the perfect opportunity to change that.
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Half-Life 3 Should Coincide With the RTX Remaster
The Stars Are Aligning For a Half-Life 3 Announcement
Audiences don’t just want a threequel because Half-Life 2 is one of the best shooters of all time, but because the series’ story is obviously not over. Without getting into spoilers, Half-Life 2 ends on a tantalizing cliffhanger that clearly intimates a follow-up game of some kind. But it’s been two full decades since Half-Life 2 released, and although it received post-launch DLC and a VR spin-off in the form of Half-Life: Alyx, the main narrative still has loose ends to tie up.
With 2024 marking the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2, it would be the ideal time to give players an update on the franchise. Plus, with the RTX remaster modernizing the game’s visuals dramatically, there will almost certainly be an influx of Half-Life 2 players in the next few weeks, including those who never checked out the game in its original state. Indeed, all eyes will be on Half-Life 2 in the near future, and this visibility would be the perfect excuse to start getting the word out about a new game.
What a Half-Life 3 Announcement Could Look Like
At this point, hoping for a Half-Life 3 reveal can feel like getting lost in delusion. Valve’s silence about the game in the midst of raucous demand is something that gaming fans are all too aware of, but the studio hasn’t explicitly stated that it won’t happen. And with a fairly notable expansion coming to HL2 in the form of this RTX remaster, th stage is set for an announcement.
One can hope, but a proper reveal trailer or gameplay showcase for Half-Life 3 probably won’t be happening any time soon. That said, maybe the RTX remaster could include some sort of reference to the third game, implicitly confirming that it’s being worked on. Quite frankly, even an Elder Scrolls 6-style logo reveal for Half-Life 3 would be welcomed with rapturous applause after so many years of silence. Essentially, Valve could do as little as tweet out a JPEG of said logo while players are re-experiencing Half-Life 2 with the RTX remaster, and audiences would probably eat it up. The company may not want to pass on such an opportunity.
1998. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. Valve’s debut title wins more than 50 game-of-the-year awards on its way to being named “Best PC Game Ever” by PC Gamer, and launches a franchise with more than eight million retail units sold worldwide.
NOW. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player’s presence affects everything around them, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies.
The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people he cares about are counting on him.
- Franchise
- Half-Life
- Released
- November 16, 2004
- Engine
- source, havok
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 13 Hours