Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Half-Life alyx

Valve canceled Half-Life 3, Left 4 Dead 3 according to new documentary

Half-Life 3 confirmed. And canceled.
This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

According to Geoff Keighley’s new interactive documentary, Half-Life: Alex – Final Hours, Valve was working on several projects at various points in the last decade, but ended up canceling them. That list of shelved games includes such mythical titles as Half-Life 3 and Left 4 Dead 3.

Recommended Videos

Half-Life 3

The documentary is a look inside Valve during the development of the company’s new VR game, Half-Life: Alyx. According to a report by IGN, Keighley reveals that at least five Half-Life games were canceled between the release of Half-Life: Episode 2 and Alyx. However, there aren’t specific details about all of the different projects.

According to Keighley’s documentary, Valve was at one point working on a project titled Half-Life 3. It was created in the (incomplete) Source 2 engine and featured gameplay inspired by Left 4 Dead. Interestingly, it would have featured procedurally generated segments alongside hand-crafted stories to make a more replayable game.

Although the project actually did facial scanning of Frank Sheldon, who plays the G-Man, Valve later dropped the project. Half-Life 3 was in development for about a year during 2013 and 2014.

New Half Life Valve Games

Left 4 Dead 3 and others

We hear about a Left 4 Dead 3 a couple of times a year at least. But it turns out that, at one point, Valve actually did have it in development. It would have been an open-world game set in Morocco. Sadly, Valve canceled it due to Source 2 not being finished at the time.

Another project, the mysteriously named “RPG,” was apparently related to DOTA at one point. It also drew inspiration from Dark Souls and The Elder Scrolls. However, it never left the conceptual stage before Valve canceled it.

Valve ended up canceling several other projects along the way, including another Half-Life VR project. There was also Vader, Valve’s first attempt at a VR headset, which might have cost around $5,000 a unit. Yikes.

You can pick up Half-Life: Alyx – Final Hours on Steam for $9.99.


PC Invasion is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons spends way too much time writing elaborate backstories for his Stellaris civilizations, which no one ever sees. He used to be good at Rainbow Six: Siege, but like an aging boxer, he just can't keep up with the youngsters anymore.