It’s been 20 years since Half-Life 2 blew players away with its stunning visuals and groundbreaking physics powered by Source Engine 2. But aside from a few story expansions and a more recent virtual reality spinoff, the franchise has remained dormant for most of that time. Over the weekend, however, the emergence of a secret new Valve project has some players convinced that we’re closer to Half-Life 3 than ever before.
These leaks were first shared by members of the Gaming Leaks and Rumors subreddit. Fans noticed that voice actor Natasha Chandel had a mysterious credit on her online portfolio for something named Project White Sands. While we don’t know what that project is, we do know that Valve is involved. People were also quick to point out that White Sands is the name of a park in New Mexico, the same state where the first Half-Life game is based. Soon after the detail was discovered online, the project mysteriously vanished from Chandel’s portfolio.
Just hours after the Chandel reference, a prominent Valve fanatic and YouTuber said he’s been slowly collecting evidence that corroborates what people are speculating. Tyler McVicker said that he’s been aware of a secret Valve project in development since 2021. Work on a project called “HLX” has been ongoing since the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, according to McVicker.
McVicker said he wasn’t ready to conclude this mystery project was a Half-Life follow-up at first. But certain pieces of evidence in past data mines, including references to XenGorillas, which are named in Half-Life: Alyx; and HEV suits, which Half-Life protagonist Gordan Freeman wears, has lent legitimacy to the rumor.
“I think this is a non-VR Half-Life game, that you play an HEV suit-wearing character, in development at Valve Software,” he said. “Because it's been in development for over four years, also because according to datamines, systems architecture has been slowing down yet features architecture is speeding up, it seems as if things are happening very quickly and are nearing a completion date sooner rather than later.”
It’s worth mentioning that Valve has denied McVicker has insider information about the company’s projects. But McVicker has scooped major developments through data mining before, including the existence of Valve’s hero shooter Deadlock.
While McVicker’s alleged scoop and the appearance of Project White Sands on Chandel’s website make for a compelling case, the gaming community has been here before. From fake trademark filings to April Fool's pranks, Half-Life 3 has eluded players time and time again. Valve’s follow-up has been teased for as long as some college students have been alive. Treating anything not coming directly from Valve with more than a grain of salt risks deeply disappointing one’s self.
That said, the evidence that Valve is working on something is still pretty darn exciting. Valve hasn’t made a traditional, non-VR single-player game in 13 years. And its last one was 2011’s Portal 2, one of the best games ever made. Even if Project White Sands or HLX isn’t the game people have been waiting an actual generation for, a brand new single-player from this team is one players should be keeping an ear out for.
There’s a good chance that before players see whatever Valve is cooking up, they’ll likely see an official reveal for the aforementioned Deadlock. Despite not acknowledging its existence as of yet, the game is rumored to be Valve’s attempt at the popular team-based shooter in the vein of games like Overwatch and Marvel Rivals.
