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'Half-Life 3' release date news 2016: Valve not likely to release new sequel in 2018

Valve released the second "Half-Life" video game almost 12 years ago, and now the fans of the highly successful shooter game have remained hopeful that the game studio will make a follow-up game in the near future. There are reports that "Half-Life 3" will be released in time for a special date in 2018, although right now, chances are getting slim that Valve will launch the sequel within the next two years.

Promotional image of "Half-Life" game of the year edition. | Valve

Initial rumors suggested that "Half-Life 3" will definitely happen, although not very soon. According to Neurogadget, Valve is already working on "Half-Life 3" as it has already set a 2018 release date for the upcoming sequel. The release of "Half-Life 3" was rumored to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the "Half-Life" franchise. To recall, the first "Half-Life" video game was released back in 1998.

It was also rumored that Valve is making efforts to develop "Half-Life 3" in virtual reality (VR) format. This rumor may not be a far-fetched idea with the boom of VR headsets over the past few years, and the company's recent partnership with HTC further heightened the speculations that Valve is planning to make "Half-Life 3" compatible with HTC Vive VR headset.

Unfortunately, the silence being shown by Valve in the midst all of the speculations about a new "Half-Life" video game could be a sign that the developer is not planning to make the sequel at all. As reported by Game N Guide, the time is already passing by the opportunity of creating "Half-Life 3," also noting that the people responsible for the first two "Half-Life" video games have already retired. In fact, the chief writer of the previous "Half-Life" games, Marc Laidlaw, is no longer involved with Valve. 

Specifically, Valve may have already sealed the deal that no "Half-Life" game titles will be coming out of its studio in the coming years. News Independent quoted Valve President Gabe Newell as he responded to the "Half Life 3" rumors. "The only reason we'd go back and do like a super classic kind of product is if a whole bunch of people just internally at Valve said they wanted to do it and a reasonable explanation for why," Newell said. 

This statement by Newell is discouraging for "Half-Life" fans as it appears that Valve has lost the enthusiasm in creating follow-up game titles for the once popular franchise in the late 90s.