Something to look forward to: If you thought Valve's return to the Half-Life franchise by way of Half-Life: Alyx would be short-lived, think again. In a recent interview with Game Informer, Valve legend Robin Walker confirmed that the Half-Life universe is very much alive once more, and the company is far from finished with it.
"Half-Life means a lot to us, and it's been incredibly rewarding to refamiliarize ourselves with its characters, setting, and mechanics," Walker said. "...We absolutely see Half-Life: Alyx as our return to this world, not the end of it."
That's great news for series veterans who do not wish to play Half-Life: Alyx due to its VR exclusivity. The medium is pretty expensive to get into if you want a decent experience, and even if you're satisfied with some of the more affordable VR kits, Alyx's gameplay will be significantly different than what players might be used to.
Given Walker's latest statements, there just might be a chance that the Half-Life franchise will return to PC and consoles after Alyx's development concludes – perhaps the world will even see the long-awaited Half-Life: Episode 3 someday.
Of course, we're not advising our readers to get their hopes up here. Valve notoriously has trouble counting to three (see Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, DOTA 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 for evidence), and until we see some concrete signs of life in the "traditional," non-VR side of the Half-Life series, some skepticism may be warranted.
Nonetheless, even if we never get a true sequel to Half-Life 2, it's clear that Valve sees a future in developing this franchise further. With next-gen consoles right around the corner, we can't wait to see where the company takes Half-Life over the next couple of years.
Half-Life Alyx is set to arrive on Steam come March 23 with a $60 price tag. Pre-orders are open now at a discount, bringing the total cost down to $53.99. Until its release, the existing Half-Life games are free-to-play.