Valve Staff Member Sparks Half-Life 3 Speculation with ‘HLX’ Codename Reveal

It’s been twenty years since we last saw Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2: Episode Two, and the anticipation for a third installment has been hanging in the air for far too long. Valve has kept fans guessing, neither confirming nor denying the development of Half-Life 3, although rumors suggest that at least one attempt to create it has been scrapped. Recently, however, new hints about a potential Half-Life game have emerged from Valve, albeit unintentionally.

The latest buzz surrounding the long-speculated Half-Life 3 comes after years of whispers about a project codenamed “HLX.” A Valve employee casually mentioned HLX during a gaming convention, reigniting the speculation.

At GameSoundCon, a conference focused on game music and sound design in Burbank, California, Valve composer Mike Morasky participated in a panel alongside sound designers David Feise and Carlye Nyte. Their discussion, titled “Valve’s Approach to an Open and Flexible Audio Engine,” was intended to delve into Valve’s Source 2 audio engine and its adaptable systems. However, what caught everyone’s attention was Morasky’s slip of the supposed codename HLX in a public setting, much to the apparent surprise of one of his fellow panelists.

A member of the Gaming Leaks and Rumours subreddit noted that during the panel, Morasky mentioned, “I think Deadlock has their own version of HDR. You know, HLX has its own version, so on and so forth.” Feise then seemed to whisper to Morasky, “Nice work.” As the panel wrapped up, Feise leaned in and remarked, “Good job. You only said ‘HLX’ once,” to which Morasky appeared to respond, “I did?”

Fans of Half-Life recall that Morasky has made similar slips in the past. Last year, Redditors shared video interviews where he referred to “HLX” in connection with a Valve project, only to quickly correct himself. In another instance, he allegedly mentioned working on two Half-Life games, despite being officially credited only for Half-Life: Alyx, the 2020 VR prequel to Half-Life 2.

HLX is believed to be the codename for Half-Life 3 or at least a direct sequel to the events of Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Dataminers uncovered the codename while sifting through updates to the Source 2 engine following the release of Half-Life: Alyx. Rumors suggest that HLX is a non-VR game set in the Half-Life universe. Supporting these claims is a report from a long-time Valve reporter who indicated that the game is not only in development but also “playable from end to end.”

While there’s no sign that Valve will announce Half-Life 3 anytime soon, fans of the franchise have grown accustomed to waiting. They can certainly hold out a bit longer.