It all began with a leaked interview announcing a new Half-Life title at The Game Awards on December 12. Fans of Gordon Freeman have learned to take such rumors with a grain of salt, but Valve confirmed via its official Twitter account that the rumor is true. Half-Life: Alyx will be the next Half-Life game, based on the adventures of Alyx Vance herself, designed exclusively for virtual reality systems.
It's not April 1st, nor is it December 28. I checked the calendar twice just in case. Today marks 21 years since the release of the original Half-Life, that fabulous story that turned a theoretical physicist into an impromptu interdimensional hero. Its last official appearance was in 2007, twelve long years ago, in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Since then... nothing. Fan-made games? Yes. Mods? Also. Even a possible ending leaked by its writers. But nothing from headquarters... until now.
What happened? Apparently, the same leaker who leaked some details about Dota Underlords shared an interview revealing the presentation of a title called Half-Life: Alyx at The Game Awards on December 12. Within hours of that leak, Valve opened a new Twitter account (with verification included), and its first tweet essentially confirms that Half-Life: Alyx is real. Ladies and gentlemen, there is a new Half-Life game on the horizon.
But we know Valve well, and the first thing we ask is “what does the fine print say”. To begin, the company will present the game on Thursday, November 21 at 10 a.m. Pacific time (make the appropriate conversions for your regions). Another important detail (not fully confirmed) is that HL:A would not be a sequel, but a prequel. Alyx would be under player control at some point between “post-Black Mesa” and “Pre-City 17”, possibly reliving the worst of the Seven Hour War.
However, Valve left no doubt about one thing: Half-Life: Alyx will be an exclusive title for virtual reality systems. Let's think about that for a moment. An official “triple A” game from a historic saga like Half-Life, designed for virtual platforms that only 5 percent of Steam users own. Personally, I don't think it's the most viable strategy, but considering Valve is up to its neck with its VR initiative, it doesn't surprise me.
Those fans and enthusiasts who have closely studied Valve's VR assets and Source 2 engine leaks knew (at least since September) that something new was on the way. One of the most interesting elements they discovered is the “magnetic gloves”, possible heirs to the Gravity Gun that would go well with Valve Index controls. Seeing is believing.
The arrows point to next Thursday. Obviously we're excited about Half-Life: Alyx, but everything seems to indicate that Valve decided to introduce certain conditions that some players won't accept, and that won't go away. On the other hand, one of the main complaints we've had about virtual reality is the lack of quality titles. Half-Life: Alyx could break that curse and become “the” title that justifies buying a headset. At the same time, it's a very high-risk bet. If Valve fails to make a good VR game... it will probably be the end of that technology.
Source: Valve on Twitter
Source: Ars Technica
