Valve: Big Surprise Isn't Episode 3 (Booooo!)
So much for that theory.
Looks as though the speculation that Half-Life 2: Episode 3 would be Valve's "big surprise" come E3 2010 was shot down in fiery flames. Although it seems rather odd that Valve head honcho Gabe Newell would shoot down candidates for the mystery reveal, apparently he confirmed Episode 3's exclusion in a recent private message, simply saying "it isn't Ep 3." Bummer.
Newell also confirmed that a recent teaser image--depicting the Half-Life symbol with the words "Freeman" and "June 14th" centered underneath--was a fake. The history of the document also shows a lot of tampering although the edits appear to have taken place on June 4. Clearly someone was really hoping for the long-delayed, third installment, and wanted to spread the love.
So what exactly will be Valve's big surprise? The company recently hinted that the mystery reveal wouldn't interest Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers, indicating that PC gamers will receive some sort of high-profile treat come June 14. That's a nice surprise in itself given that many PC developers are slowly shifting over to the dark side (namely heavy console support).
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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pocketdrummer ARRRGHHH!!! You can't claim to change the way we game with episodic content and just stop after two episodes. Maybe it's gone the "Firefly/Serenity" route and they're just going to release a full fledged Half-Life 3. OR, maybe it's Valve's first mmo (though I doubt it).Reply
Either way, I'm sure we won't be disappointed by what we receive, rather what we didn't receive (HL2:EP3). -
insider3 I don't think anyone cares about the June 14th mystery now that we all know it's not going to be Episode 3.Reply -
restatement3dofted That doesn't seem all that surprising. The email cancelling things still referred to an E3 Portal 2 surprise: "If you'd like to ask fruitless questions about the E3 Portal 2 surprise," which seems to suggest that the surprise is still related to Portal 2 in some way. But I suppose we'll find out soon, won't we?Reply -
toxxel Portal 2 is still coming out, they said they won't be showing it at E3. I'd bet HL3 new engine opening the door for new era of releases.Reply -
stevesauce Lol. "Dark side". I'd shift there, too, if that's where all the money was at. :DReply
And practically everyone knew that there is now Ep. 3. -
tommysch insider3I don't think anyone cares about the June 14th mystery now that we all know it's not going to be Episode 3.Reply
HL3 > HL2:EP3 ...!