Hal-Life 3 has become a running joke in the video game community, as years have passed without even a hint of a new mainline Half-Life game. While Half-Life: Alyx filled the void, in part, for fans with VR headsets, there are still vast swathes of fans that are unable to play Alyx and are holding out hope for Half-Life 3. Unfortunately, Half-Life 3 may not be happening ever, though there's still some good news.
The information comes by way of Valve News Network's creator, Tyler McVicker. In a new YouTube video, McVicker discussed the state of the Half-Life franchise, going on to describe where things are headed. Unfortunately, McVicker had bad news for fans hoping that Half-Life: Alyx's ending was an indication of more to come. According to McVicker, there "isn't a major development team working on anything, outside of the few pieces of software that are specifically tailored for hardware."
McVicker then elaborated that the teams at Valve are focused on games for the Steam Deck because it's reaching an unanticipated level of success. McVicker stressed that any mouse and keyboard shooter fans might hope is in development at Valve "is not taking place." While that might be disappointing news for fans, it's not all bad, as there's still reportedly a Half-Life project in the works.
Apparently called "Half-Life: Citadel," or at least being called that as a code name, the new project is apparently being created to demonstrate what the Steam Deck is capable of. McVicker described the project as a "nostalgia fest," apparently being some sort of RTS-FPS hybrid that's "cooperatively based." McVicker cited Left 4 Dead and Alien Swarm as examples of what fans should expect as far as gameplay goes, with the obvious Half-Life influence.
McVicker also stated that some individuals on the Citadel project have been moved to the Steam Deck of finishing touches, but that development on Citadel is still progressing. However, Valve hasn't officially confirmed anything yet, so fans should still take the information with a grain of salt. Development plans change frequently, especially at a studio like Valve, so it's impossible to say how any project will end up. A Half-Life game tailored to the Steam Deck makes a lot of sense, though.
An emphasis on the Steam Deck will put Valve first-party software in an interesting place, though it isn't necessarily foreign land for the company. Oculus continues to dominate the VR field, and while Nintendo has the crown for handhelds, the Steam Deck could at least provide an alternative option for those with massive Steam libraries.