Half-Life 3' release date, news & update: Game rumored for 2018 in the midst of Valve's silence

A hoax and rumor-filled decade after the release of "Half-Life 2: Episode Two," fans of Valve Corporation's science fiction first-person shooter video game franchise are still left to wonder if "Half-Life 3" will ever come out.

According to the latest reports, "Half-Life 3" will be released in 2018 to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the first game, which was released in 1998.

There is no information to corroborate this, but Valve coming out with "Half-Life 3' in such a momentous day for the franchise is plausible and certainly has precedent (Valve would not be the first studio to do such).

For Valve to bring out "Half-Life 3" after years of stone cold silence, it will be a behemoth of a shocker that will play to their advantage. This is allegedly why the developer is being extra secretive in developing it.

However, at the moment, Valve has not confirmed "Half-Life 3." It does not make it easy that when asked about it, they neither debunk nor prove the game's existence.

This was the case at the EGX last year, where Valve writer Chet Faliszek was asked about the long-awaited game and if it will be released for virtual reality (VR), which is the subject of his talk at the event.

He simply answered in the negative and said "no" again when pressed for answers. His remarks were interpreted differently by fans.

Some say his response implied that "Half-Life 3" is in development but not for VR while others see it as the game not in the works at all.

It has been 10 years since the wait for the game has begun. The excitement and hype remain although some fans may have given up on waiting blindly for it.

During these years of waiting came out fake sites, "leaked clips," images and documents bearing a "Half-Life 3" logo or title. Many of which are fabricated and some remain unsubstantiated, often bringing up the hope of fans before taking it all away.