For the longest time it's seemed like the only chance of Half-Life 3 ever being released was the day when pigs finally learned to fly. Well, it looks like oinkers could soon evolve wings, because a new rumor has reignited the hope that one of the most anticipated (but never confirmed) video games ever could genuinely be in development.
A voice actor has accidentally let slip they’ve been working on a new Valve title codenamed “Project White Sands” (thanks, Notebookcheck). A particularly observant Reddit user first clocked a post that has subsequently been deleted on said voice actor’s profile page, which itself is currently down. Presumably because all the Gordon Freeman fans have desperately been trying to access the page.
The main reason this feels significant is that Project White Sands definitely isn’t the already leaked “Deadlock” — a 6 vs 6 third-person shooter Gabe Newell and co. are currently working on (thanking you, Insider Gaming).
“What is Project White Sands”?
That most likely leaves us with two main scenarios regarding Project White Sands: it’s either Half-Life 3 itself or a sequel to the incredible VR puzzle-heavy shooter, Half-Life Alyx. And on the topic of Alyx, the wonderful 2020 virtual reality experience will be available to play on PSVR 2 on PC in August thanks to a new Steam app and PlayStation adapter.
As for the connotations of what that codename may mean in terms of a possible gameplay setting? Folks on Reddit are already speculating that it could mean that whatever this potential Freeman-related sequel could be will either be a snowy location or based in the original Half-Life's New Mexico location — which launched all the way back in 1998 when the best gaming PCs were roughly as powerful as a pocket calculator.
For context, the last time we saw Goggsy take the business end of his legendary crowbar to a Headcrab was in Half-Life 2: Episode 2; a short but compelling piece of DLC that launched in October 2007. Before that, the incredible Half-Life 2 was released a year after the launch of Steam on November 16, 2004.
While you should take all of the above with as many pinches of salt as you can fit in your palms, it’s still at least heartening that after so much speculation and years of desperate pleas for Half-Life 3, Valve may finally be working on a shooter that fans have been requesting for the longest time.
Over to you, Mr. Newell.
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