Last year (opens in new tab), Valve said that Half-Life: Alyx (opens in new tab) could kick-start a new wave of Half-Life games. In a new interview with Game Informer (opens in new tab), Valve developer Robin Walker confirmed that the studio doesn’t view Alyx as the end of the series, but rather the studio’s return to it.
“Half-Life means a lot to us, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to refamiliarize ourselves with its characters, setting, and mechanics,” Walker said. “There are Half-Life: Alyx team members who have been at Valve since Half-Life 2, and quite a few who go back to the original Half-Life. There are also people on the team for whom Half-Life: Alyx is their first time working on this series at all – and many of them certainly hope it’s not the last. We absolutely see Half-Life: Alyx as our return to this world, not the end of it.”
There’s no telling what sort of Half-Life games – or other media – Valve will make in the years to come. It could be another VR adventure or it could be a full-fat Half-Life 3. The main point is that there is, or will be, more Half-Life in the works. The question then becomes: will we ever play as Gordon Freeman again? Again, there’s no telling, but Walker reckons Alyx will at least provide some closure to Half-Life 2: Episode 2.
“It’s not a bad idea for players to have refreshed themselves on the events of Episode 2 before starting Half-Life: Alyx,” he said.
Valve just released three short videos of Alyx gameplay (opens in new tab), offering 10 full minutes of mind-blowing physics interactions and remarkably sharp VR shooting.