Despite being on ice for nearly two decades, the Half-Life brand has remained popular within gaming culture. Fans were absolutely floored with Valve's FPS title in the late 90s and the sheer quality of that debut has kept discussions going. Fans just really want a new entry and that is finally happening with Half-Life: Alyx. Is this simply a one-off release, though?
In a brand new interview with Game Informer, Valve's Robin Walker said, "We absolutely see Half-Life: Alyx as our return to this world, not the end of it." Walker, a programmer on the upcoming VR exclusive, went over how there are some veterans at Valve from the original Half-Life and others that joined after the launch of Half-Life 2 but noted that everyone is excited about resurrecting this important series.
"Half-Life means a lot to us, and it's been incredibly rewarding to refamiliarize ourselves with its characters, setting, and mechanics," Walker stated. "There are Half-Life: Alyx team members who have been at Valve since Half-Life 2, and quite a few who go back to the original Half-Life. There are also people on the team for whom Half-Life: Alyx is their first time working on this series at all – and many of them certainly hope it's not the last."
It's been far too long since Half-Life last graced our PCs and consoles, but the wait does look worth it. Whether because the technology wasn't there or because Valve had no inspiration, it's great to see something sparked the company to jump back into development. Steam has been incredibly successful for the company and it should be reinvesting that money back into creating new experiences.
Walker's comments hopefully lead to a whole slew of new Half-Life installments. Spin-off Portal could use a new entry and it would even be cool to see more side stories like Alyx. While we won't be getting a conclusion to the cliffhanger of Episode Two here, maybe that long-rumored Episode Three will finally come to fruition.
Whatever does happen, it is an exciting time to be a fan of Half-Life. The future looks bright and that's something you couldn't have said even a year ago.
Source: Game Informer