The companies that we grew up with—the ones that gave us our favorite games—aren’t the same anymore. Bungie isn’t the Bungie that made Halo. Bioware hasn’t been Bioware since Mass Effect 2. EA, Bethesda, even studios like Blizzard—so many of the original visionaries, writers, and coders who brought those worlds to life are long gone. Replaced by corporate structures, rushed deadlines, live service models, and executives more concerned with quarterly reports than player experiences. When we get excited about a sequel to a beloved game, we’re not really excited for what’s coming—we’re chasing a memory. A memory crafted by people who are no longer in the room.
And how many times have we chased that feeling and been let down? For me, it was Alan Wake 2. I talked about that game for months. I was so ready to be immersed in another surreal, narrative-heavy experience, but when I finally played it, the magic just wasn’t there. The "mind palace" or "head space" mechanic felt like a chore, a barrier between me and the story I wanted to live in. I know some people loved it, and that’s fine, but it wasn’t what I hoped for. It felt like they overthought it—like they were trying to be clever instead of just telling a great story. It reminded me that even when something looks promising, it doesn’t always land the way we want it to.
So when it comes to Half-Life 3—if it even exists—we need to keep our expectations in check. Gabe Newell might be completely hands-off. The team that made Half-Life 1 and 2—the people who understood the pacing, the tone, the subtle environmental storytelling—they're probably all gone. We’ve been teased, baited, and memed into a frenzy for over a decade. It’s almost become a joke. But behind that joke is a harsh truth: so many fans have waited their whole lives for this game, and some of them aren’t even around anymore. Others have moved on. Got families. Switched to consoles. Lost interest. The audience that was so desperate for closure has been aging without answers.
If Half-Life 3 ever comes out, we have to go into it with our expectations tempered. It won’t be what we imagined. It can’t be. There’s no way to satisfy the sheer mythos the fanbase has created over the years. And that’s not necessarily Valve’s fault—but it is their fault for stringing fans along with nothing to show. If it drops, maybe we’ll get something decent. Maybe even good. But don’t expect it to be a second coming. It won’t change the industry again. It might not even feel like Half-Life. It probably won’t be a Duke Nukem Forever-level catastrophe, but if we’re not ready for something different—or even disappointing—then we’re just setting ourselves up for heartbreak.
Intriguing stuff!
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