Half-Life: Alyx is "not the end" of the series, Valve says
Valve is also eager to get back to Half-Life
Last year, Valve said that Half-Life: Alyx could kick-start a new wave of Half-Life games. In a new interview with Game Informer, Valve developer Robin Walker confirmed that the studio doesn't view Alyx as the end of the series, but rather the studio's return to it.
"Half-Life means a lot to us, and it's been incredibly rewarding to refamiliarize ourselves with its characters, setting, and mechanics," Walker said. "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. We absolutely see Half-Life: Alyx as our return to this world, not the end of it."
There's no telling what sort of Half-Life games - or other media - Valve will make in the years to come. It could be another VR adventure or it could be a full-fat Half-Life 3. The main point is that there is, or will be, more Half-Life in the works. The question then becomes: will we ever play as Gordon Freeman again? Again, there's no telling, but Walker reckons Alyx will at least provide some closure to Half-Life 2: Episode 2.
"It's not a bad idea for players to have refreshed themselves on the events of Episode 2 before starting Half-Life: Alyx," he said.
Valve just released three short videos of Alyx gameplay, offering 10 full minutes of mind-blowing physics interactions and remarkably sharp VR shooting.
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Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.