When Will Valve Shift Focus Back to Half-Life 2: Episode Three?

If I simply said “three-and-a-half years”, what would immediately come to mind for you? If you replied “the amount of time passed since Episode Two’s release”, you’d either be unbelievably on top of things, or the topic of this news post was too good of a hint. Either way, we’re nearing four full years since we all began waiting for Episode Three, so what’s the deal?

I don’t have the answer, of course, but there’s no harm in speculating, right? When I reviewed Episode Two the very day it came out, I ironically began it off by saying, “When we reviewed Episode 1 some sixteen months ago, we had no idea it was going to be such a wait before we could continue along in the adventure.” Joke’s on me!

Who can forget the launch of Episode Two? Many gamers weren’t just picking up one game, but three. And, well, I don’t really need to tell anyone about how either Team Fortess 2 or the original Portal were received. Both of those games have undoubtedly garnered more attention than the Half-Life series since that trio of launches, but it of course helps when Valve is taking its good ole time with Episode Three.

Since the Orange Box release, Valve went on to release Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Alien Swarm and of course, Portal 2 (read our review). It also has DotA 2 in the works, tentatively slated for launch later this year. Where’s Episode Three fit into this picture? Is it ever going to be launched?

The answer to that question is obviously, “yes”, because Half-Life is the series Valve was built on, and its been integral to its success. The company sure isn’t about to go and ignore it, but that doesn’t mean it won’t take its time when following up with the last episode. That is, if we do end up seeing the last episode in its original form. Given how long it’s been taking, Valve might instead opt to meld the third episode and Half-Life 3 into one, though that’d be less-than-ideal for certain reasons, and unlikely for others.

With Portal 2 out of the way, and Team Fortress 2 still enjoying major success, are we finally nearing the time when Valve is going to give us the update we’ve been waiting for? Given both Left 4 Dead titles were introduced since the Orange Box, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see major updates there anytime soon, so what else is there for Valve to do than to finish up Episode Three?

The update can’t come soon enough. I’ve been dying to play through the trio of Half-Life 2 games for a while, but figured I’d hold off until Episode Three nears its launch. Again, joke’s on me!