Half-Life 3 Appears To Be In Late Stage Development

Abstract

The brand new Impasse replace integrated a couple of new references to “HLX”, which is thought to be Part-Lifestyles 3.
Valve seems to have carried out FSR3 make stronger in HLX, indicating that it is within the past due degree of construction.
Given Mike Shapiro’s cryptic New Yr’s Tease of “surprising surprises” coming in 2025 re: Part-Lifestyles and Valve, it is conceivable that HL3 would possibly after all be introduced this 12 months.

Valve simply rolled out a significant Impasse replace, totally overhauling the map to concentrate on 3 lanes somewhat than 4. However that is not the headline. Nestled inside the replace are strings of code referencing the elusive “HLX”, which is strongly believed to be Part-Lifestyles 3.

What units this discovery except for the entire different HLX references over the previous couple of years is that it particularly pertains to FSR3, which is AMD’s choice to DLSS, the upscaling generation designed by means of Nvidia to spice up efficiency. That implies a few issues, a) Part-Lifestyles 3 made it throughout the contemporary spherical of playtests reported by means of Gabe Follower (and a Valve Iciness), and b) it sounds as if to be within the optimisation degree.

FSR3 used to be carried out within the Impasse replace, so it seems to be most likely that “all over its implementation,” Valve “by chance integrated the HLX-specific code.”

Those references, which is solely scratching the skin of what has been discovered over the past 24 hours, point out that HLX is in “past due degree construction”, as famous by means of u/Stannis_Loyalist, who shared their findings at the Part-Lifestyles subreddit.

This Would possibly Provide an explanation for Mike Shapiro’s Contemporary Tease

On New Yr’s Eve, G-Guy and Barney Calhoun actor Mike Shapiro posted a cryptic video on Twitter with the hashtags #Valve and #Halflife, teasing “surprising surprises” for 2025. Many took this to be the beginnings of an ARG, scouring via Shapiro’s song library in hopes of discovering any clues about what he may well be referencing. Whilst this used to be a whole lifeless finish, the video obviously teases one thing Part-Lifestyles-related for this 12 months.

As HLX seems to be within the sharpening degree, it isn’t far-fetched to consider that Valve would possibly formally unveil the sport in the future in 2025. Whilst it is price taking that assumption with a grain of salt — Valve may just at all times lengthen the mission — there are a couple of key issues to imagine right here that set aside HLX from the entire different leaked and cancelled Part-Lifestyles 3s.

Following the discharge of Alyx (which in a similar fashion leaked underneath a codename: HLVR), Valve said that it is “now not petrified of Part-Lifestyles not more”. Gabe Newell additionally stated in 2020 that “Alyx were given everyone excited and the […] staff has in truth been very productive. Reasonably than them being like, ‘Oh, we wish to take a damage,’ they have got in truth been extremely fired up about construction inside the Part-Lifestyles franchise and VR.”

HLX, then again, does now not seem to be a VR recreation.

HLX is the furthest {that a} Part-Lifestyles 3 mission has made it in construction, and it sounds as if to be helmed by means of a staff that Newell stated is “fired up” about the way forward for the franchise. Has Gordon’s hour come once more? Confidently, we will in finding out this 12 months.