Uh-oh, 'Half-Life' might truly be dead

Half-Life 3 confirmed... dead?

In the early hours of Friday morning, former lead writer and designer on the Half-Life series Marc Laidlaw posted a poorly disguised plot summary of what could be the long-awaited (and now possibly dead) Half-Life 2: Episode 3. With the original story out there, this could be the end of Half-Life.

Lalaw published a blog entry titled "Epistle 3" on his website today, telling a story that appears connected to the events of 2007's Half-Life 2: Episode 3, but with the names of characters, objects, and locations slightly altered. A fan kindly took Laidlaw's post and "corrected" the lazy aliases for fellow fans eager to find out what was apparently meant to happen next in the Half-Life universe.

YouTuber Valve News Network explains the situation pretty thoroughly, including adding some interpretations of the blog that appear to reference Laidlaw's relationship with Valve (from which he departed in 2016).

The wording of Laidlaw's messages (from the point-of-view of "Gertrude Fremont") implies that he won't be writing any more stories in the Half-Life universe, whether via his blog or within an actual game. It also implies that the current team at Valve has gone through so many changes that it's almost unrecognizable from what it started as at the beginning of Half-Life's life.

Even if Valve did make another Half-Life game -- whether that's Half-Life 2: Episode 3 or Half-Life 3 -- it just wouldn't be the same.

If Laidlaw's post is in fact the plot of Episode 3, it's possible he published it both to give fans closure and to air his frustrations that the project he worked on has yet to see its conclusion for a myriad of speculative reasons.

In the 10 years since Episode 2's release, a third installment's absence has turned into a long-running joke, egged on by Valve's insistence on not commenting on the status of the game in any form. Half-Life 3 has transcended from potential game to full-on meme, and any mention of its future release is instantly regarded as a joke by almost every fan.

Although nothing about this blog post explicitly states that Half-Life is finished, many fans are taking it as a sign-off for the series.

This doesn't necessarily close the book on Half-Life, but it certainly seems like Half-Life won't be continuing anytime soon. It's up to you whether you read Laidlaw's post or whether you hold faith that Valve will release the next Half-Life game before you die.