It was back in 2013 when I decided to see what the highly praised series Half-Life, was all about. During one of Steam's famous summer sales, I picked up Half-Life 2 (Not really sure why I started with 2), and besides from the somewhat dated graphics I was extremely impressed. For a game that was nearly a decade old, it somehow felt on par with the modern shooters at the time. Once I finished the game and watched the credits roll on the it, I instantly understood why people had been crying out to Valve for a sequel.
Following my excursion into the Half-Life universe, I decided to give other Valve series a try like, Left 4 Dead and Portal, I enjoyed them, especially Portal 2, and was excited to see what would be next for these series. After the release of Dota 2 however, Valve went silent.
It has been four years since Valve released a game, and even longer for the series that people really clamor for. Many fans have asked Valve, specifically Gabe Newell, about when their next game will come out? The response hasn't been what gamers were looking for.
The wait for some of these games have been so long that they've become jokes. Every time a reveal for a game is teased or a game conference occurs the usual joke is, will Half-Life 3 be revealed? Along with other punchlines like, Valve can't count to three.
In recent years it appears as if Valve has focused its attention away from games, and more towards the Steam aspect of the company. Steam has revolutionized PC gaming, with its ability to ease and create a one stop shop for the majority of PC games. Steam is extremely popular, and makes Valve a boat load of money.
You can't blame really blame Valve for pursuing and focusing on an aspect of their business that continues to chug along like a steam train, and watch as the money comes in. However, you could also say that they are a game developer and thus should be making games consistently. They haven't so much as teased that they may be working on something.
Imagine if Blizzard or Bioware hadn't released a new game or a substantial expansion for one of their core series for over 6 years. Most people would be critical about what is going on at those two places, wondering why they haven't discussed any new projects in such a long time. Think back to the tumultuous developments of The Last Guardian and Final Fantasy XV. Those two games were criticized for their long developments, and many people gave up hope they would ever come out.
The examples above could definitely apply to Valve as well, the long wait for a new game from them and the possible troubled development of some of their games. Which leaves the question: Why doesn't Valve get more flak for their lack of anything on the development side?
As I mentioned earlier, I like some of their games, but I'm not necessarily a fan of everything Valve does. My answer, as someone who just likes to play good games, and Valve typically makes good games, is that I think they do deserve some criticism. My criticism though isn't that they haven't released a new game in four years, but that they really haven't been more open about the development of their franchises or that they are working on something.
One aspect that I wish they would be more open about on the development side is the numerous departures of key writers and developers at Valve that have headed many of their flagship franchises for years. Back in 2016 the lead writer for both Half-Life games left the company, along with the departure of another important writer, Chet Faliszek. Is there more trouble behind the scenes at the company? Or is it just a change of focus for both the company and the individual leaving? These questions unfortunately won't get answered any time soon it appears, although I would like the company to be more open about the development process going on right now.
They have the right to keep things under wraps until they feel like a game, or games, are ready to be shown; yet to not even discuss the long development for a franchise like Half-Life or at least tease the development of something in the works, I believe is disrespectful to fans of Valve. If Beyond Good and Evil can finally be teased to the world, why can't we get a tease of Half-Life 3, or Portal 3, or just something new from Valve.
People deserve some insight into what is going at Valve right now. If being criticized will help offer some insight then I think the flak is justified. Even if Valve announces an Orange Box 2 with Portal 3, Half-Life 3, and maybe something new bundled together in a single package, I don't believe that would make amends for the years of nothing but dust clouds and tumbleweeds.
Am I being too harsh on Valve? Did I hit the nail on the head? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! Thanks for reading.