Half-Life 3: CONFIRMED!
Written by: Adam "ManKorn" Korenman, CC2K Video Games Editor
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Valve was supposed to make an announcement at GDC 2015, but Founder and CEO Gabe Newell decided to hold off, focusing instead on the TED-like “Future of PC Gaming” speech, as well as the reveal of Source 2. Addressing the audience with his usual baritone, Gabe once again changed the face of the industry by explaining that the new engine (a massive upgrade from the still-viable Source Engine) would be free to all.
Gabe looked svelte and confident on stage, with a fresh goatee and a slimmer frame. Sources close to the legendary developer explain that he has taken on several fitness goals in addition to the milestones for his company.
This morning, the First of April, 2015, Gabe called for an impromptu press conference. As Valve is by no means the White House, there weren’t reporters on standby ready to capture every word from the mouth of the gaming deity. What he said, in a limited press release, would send ripples through the world, and might just change the face of PC gaming all over again.
Valve recorded the event so that it would be captured for posterity, and so the Internet would be able to pick it apart piece by piece, searching for every clue (as we are wont to do). However, that video was taken down shortly after its release, with the remark that “it was incomplete” being the only solace.
Here is a transcript of that video:
Gabe Newell arrives on stage, bombarded by flash photography and the awed hush of the crowd. He has grown out the goatee from GDC 2015, and he appears to have lost a few more pounds. He wears a simple t-shirt and jeans combo, as though to calm us.
A steady techno beat starts, low and ominous. The lights dim.
“For the past decade, we here at Valve have focused on creating the perfect gaming experience. From Team Fortress to Left for Dead, we strove to bring competitive and fun multiplayer to the masses, and in a way that had never been done before. We blurred the lines between serious and comical, between hardcore and casual. And we did it successfully every time.”
The small crowd applauds. Gabe holds up a hand and they silence immediately.
“During GDC, I put out a lot of information regarding the future of Valve, Steam, and PC Gaming in general. And yet, despite the mics I was dropping left and right, I was only asked one question. Repeatedly. ‘When is Half-Life 3 coming out?’ There was also the variation, asking about Episode 3, but I digress. No matter how much we do as a company to further the industry, or support charities, or research life-saving technologies, we are failures in the eyes of the community unless we fulfill a promise we never really made.”
There was a moment of profound sadness, and it was like being around an Empath. The collective mood of the room dropped. Then, Gabe’s countenance rose, and in his eyes you could see the future.
“If there is one legacy I refuse to leave, it is that of unfinished business.” With that, he turned to a slowly descending projector screen. “So wake up, Dr. Freeman. Your fans have summoned you.”