Remember all the fervor around Half-Life 3? Not the same that’s been ongoing for seemingly forever, but the rumors about the sequel finally happening and launching alongside the Steam Machine? They’ve since gone dark, especially after the hardware’s delay. But while we wait for an announcement, listen to Chet Faliszek, who wrote the story for Half-Life 2: Episode One and Two alongside Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, about how he doesn’t want to write it.
This is in response to a YouTube comment (transcription via PC Gamer) about how it would be easy to make Half-Life 3 since the plot could go “anywhere.” Faliszek clarified beforehand that he’s not alluding to anything or hinting at a potential announcement, but rather discussing things from over a decade ago. The conclusion? He doesn’t “want to touch that with a 10-foot pole.”
“When people ask me, ‘Oh man, don’t you wish you could?’ No! No, I almost never want to touch something that already has some kind of lore or some kind of back history about it, not even like Left 4 Dead or anything. I don’t want to touch anything old. I don’t have to have people who remember stuff better than I do yelling at me about changing some history of lore from 50 years ago at this point.”
Bungie is one comparison that comes to mind. When speaking to the Destiny 2 studio about working with them (not on Marathon but something else), Faliszek said, “All their games have this, they have so much lore, they have so much lore, and I’m like, that lore terrifies me. I have no idea, I don’t know that much lore about my own life, let alone your game’s. I don’t want to have to write inside of that. Any sequel to me is just a disaster nightmare I never want to do. So I’m not going to.”
Regardless, he’s not keen on returning to the Half-Life franchise. “No. I don’t want to touch that with a 10-foot pole. Or even a grav gun separating me from that 10-foot pole. A grav gun to a 10-foot pole, I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it with Dog’s arms.”
So, Half-Life 3 confirmed? Well, no, but it is interesting to hear Faliszek’s thoughts on the matter. The real question is whether Valve is also considering everything that’s happened before, especially when considering the events of Half-Life: Alyx.
With the Steam Machine still slated for this year, we may not have to wait long to find out. As always, time will tell.
It’s interesting to hear the perspective of the former writer. The anticipation for Half-Life 3 has certainly been a topic of discussion for a long time, and it’s understandable that some may want to focus on new projects rather than revisiting the past. Change can bring fresh ideas!
definitely created a unique kind of nostalgia for fans. It’s fascinating how the gaming community has held onto that hope for so long, almost turning it into a cultural phenomenon. It makes you wonder how a new installment could potentially shift the dynamics of that nostalgia.
Absolutely, nostalgia plays a huge role in how we perceive and connect with classic games. It’s interesting to see how that longing for the past can shape discussions around new developments—or the lack thereof—like Half-Life 3. It really highlights the balance between innovation and honoring legacy in gaming.