[UPDATE: This article originally implied that Garry’s Mod was a Valve franchise, which is erroneous. Corrections have been issued to clarify that, while published by Valve, it would not have anything to do with ever being revived, if so. We apologize for the mistake.]
Gabe Newell, founder and president of Valve, recently stated in an interview thatValve has multiple games in developmentwith announcements to follow. While some fans are speculating that Gabe Newell could be referring to the long awaitedHalf Life 3,there are a number of franchises that Valve could revive given the recent success ofHalf Life: Alyx.
Gabe Newell implied thatHalf Life: Alyxhas created a momentum in Valveto return to making single-player games. While Valve has reportedly been developing on a number of games over the years, they have subsequently been scrapped or cancelled. With Valve’s commitment to creating new games, this hopefully signifies the rebirth of some forgotten franchises.
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Half-Life Series
Known as probably the most famous Valve series,Half-Life 3has had fans waiting for over a decade now. The originalHalf-Lifewas a first-person shooter that allowed players to assume the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist who must escape a facility after it is overrun by aliens. It was followed up with a sequel,Half-Life 2in 2004 and two extra episodic sequels titledHalf-Life 2: Episode 1andHalf-Life 2: Episode 2.Over the years, multipleHalf Lifegames have been planned but subsequentlycanceled includingHalf-Life 3andHalf-Life 2: Episode 3.
With the recent release ofHalf-Life: Alyx,it seems that Valve is ready to jump back into developing single-player games once again. For a while now, Valve has been coasting off thesuccess of its digital distribution service, Steam, and its esports titles inDota 2andCounter Strike: Global Offensive.However, with Valve planning to announce some new games soon, it hopefully implies that the long-awaitedHalf Lifesequel will finally make an appearance. Despite the fact that fans have been waiting for over a decade, there’s still plenty of excitement for the return of Gordon Freeman. Moreover, the fact thatHalf Life: Alyxwas so critically acclaimed despite being limited to VR should be an exciting prospect for the series' direction.
Portal Series
At this point in time,Portal 3is probably the least likely sequel that Valve would make. While thePortalseries is universally acclaimed, the story at the end ofPortal 2gave fans closure, and Valve has likely shifted its focus to other series. Many of the original staff that were part of thePortalseries have left Valve, and much of its success relied on the quirky, yet dark narrative from the writers. The series itself is far from forgotten, though, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Valve’s new titles were related to thePortalseries in some way.
In fact, Valve has revisited thePortaluniverse in 2016 when it releasedThe Lab,a VR showcase game that takes place in Aperture Laboratories. Together withthePortal 2level editor on the Steam Workshop, the series as a whole still appears to play a role in Valve’s identity. ThoughPortal 3is unlikely to happen, thePortaluniverse as a whole still has a lot to offer.
Team Fortress Series
Team Fortress 2is often called the “forgotten child” of Valve as its development and updates have slowed to a halt with the success ofDota 2andCounter Strike: Global Offensive.The firstTeam Fortresswas originally aQuakemod that Valve ported to itsHalf-Lifeengine as a way to promote theHalf-Lifeseries. Eventually, Valve would release a sequel,Team Fortress 2,a class-based shooterwith unique, cartoonish graphics and light-hearted gameplay.
AlthoughTeam Fortress 2had some support in its competitive scene, it never grew into a full-fledged esport, and fans often cite this as the reason for Valve setting the series aside. With the announcement that new projects are in development at Valve, however,Team Fortresscould see a revival, especially given how popular the genre has gotten.Character-based shooters likeValorantandApex Legendshave taken the world by storm, and a newTeam Fortressgame could prove to be just as popular.
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TheLeft 4 Deadserieshas a wonderful reputation, but despite its popularity, Valve has repeatedly denied that a third game is in development. Although there have been a number of rumors over the years as well as evidence for a cancelledLeft 4 Deadproject, Valve announced last year that it had stopped working on anything related to the franchise for a number of years. Still, theLeft 4 Deadseries is extremely popular and Valve hasn’t closed off the series for good yet.
With the success ofHalf Life: Alyx,there are a number of possibilities for franchises to appear on VR in the future. In particular, theLeft 4 Deadseries could make fantastic use of VR given that there’s a lack of co-op VR games currently available. Even if none of Valve’s new projects end up as a newLeft 4 Deadgame, it’s likely that it will influence the new games given how well-designed its co-op mechanics are.
Bonus: Garry’s Mod
Originally conceived by Garry Newman of Facepunch Studios,Garry’s Modis a sandbox gamethat was created as a mod for Valve’s Source game engine. Valve published it, but does not own it in anyway. It would have nothing to do with it being revived, but at the same time, it is a game deserving of it.
Although the base game had no objectives, players were able to spawn and manipulate assets from various Valve games. Over time, user-created game modes began to gain popularity and some were eventually turned into standalone games.Garry’s Modalso influenced a lot of young talent that would go on to succeed in the indie development scene.
WhileFacepunch Studios has been working on its survival gameRust,there have been a number of rumors regarding a sequel toGarry’s Modover the years. Garry Newman announced a spiritual successor toGarry’s Modback in 2017titledSandboxthat was reportedly being developed in Unreal Engine 4. However, Newman recently switched over to Valve’s Source 2 engine, which has a lot of potential given that games likeDota 2andHalf Life: Alyxwere created in the Source 2 engine.
