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Valve composer and sound designer Mike Morasky publicly named the unannounced project HLX during a Q&A session at GameSoundCon 2026. While discussing high dynamic range audio implementations alongside Deadlock, Morasky referenced the project name, prompting fellow sound designer David Feise to quietly tease him about the slip-up. [1][2]
The codename has circulated in Valve codebases since early 2024, but this marks its first direct public acknowledgment by company staff. Fresh data mining of recent Source 2 updates across Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Deadlock indicates HLX features single-player systems. Discovered references point to ray tracing, AMD FSR support, dynamic rain audio, procedural level changes, and assets related to classic Half-Life elements like the Combine gunship. [1]
The slip has revived long-running speculation that Valve is developing a direct single-player follow-up to the Half-Life series. While dataminer Tyler McVicker noted a recent spike in Valve's development commit activity, the studio has announced no official release dates or formal title confirmations for the project. [1][2]
Sound designer Mike Morasky seems eager to share Half-Life 3 news. He referred to HLX during a GameSoundCon Q&A after previously alluding to the Valve game. While leaks pointed to release date news in late 2025, the shooter remains missing in action.
via Notebookcheck
Valve hasn't offered substantial details about a new Half-Life project since launching Half-Life: Alyx in 2020, but a quick name-drop has revived debate over whether Half-Life 3 is in advanced development. Code recently added to Deadlock and other Valve games also sheds more light on the game's features, if it indeed exists.
via TechSpot