Dark's thoughts on HL3 being released.

Valve dropped Episode 3 and I'm guessing that they'll just make *another* leap between HL2 + Episode 1 & 2, like the one between HL1 and HL2. This is due to changes in the company and different plot holes that even if explained are just a bit iffy, like Magnussen's existence in Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

There's also the fact about leaks of map prototypes from Valve that through simple observation of VMF files data (same method checks out how HL2 beta maps were from 2001 to 2003, Portal beta maps were from 2004 to 2007), have been dated from 2004 to 2014 (and we haven't had anything more recent up to this day that I'm aware of), using new stuff that the Source Engine had in releases like L4D2 or games released after, the primary example is "instances" (you can look it up what they are here https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Instance), aside of prototypes of these time, let's keep it on 2010s for simplicity's sake, there's also the particular example of a effect being tested where an "ERROR" model (you know what I mean if you've played anything with Source that wasn't that polished) blinking in and out of existence, which matches Marc Laidlaw's "Epistle 3" part of the Borealis blinking in and out of existence. This is evidence of Valve working on a Half-Life project as recent as 2014, and the method for getting the date for those maps makes it impossible from being mistaking towards the past, the version of the maps found can be as old as that.

Aside of this, if we take a look back at Half-Life as a series, they weren't the best games out there, in fact their shooter mechanics have always been weak or bland, hell, not even only Half-Life's, look at Portal or Left 4 Dead, their greatness doesn't resides on the game itself, rather than on being *the first at something*.
Half-Life 1? Narrative in a FPS.
Half-Life 2? Physics in real-time in a game, and how they could be used for gameplay purposes.
Portal? Puzzles elevated to an even higher level on 3D spaces.
Left 4 Dead? Possibly one of the first big *mainstream* co-op based games.

Valve's games aren't good based on a gameplay level, they're ***revolutionary*** because they're literally the first that went ahead and published a game that has a particular element and had a relatively high level of quality. This leads to my conclusion, based on Valve's huge investments in a new engine with Source 2, VR with HTC and the push of Linux as a gaming platform, and *kinda backed* by the leaks of something called "HLVR", makes me firmly believe that Half-Life 3 will be released as a Virtual Reality title (and standardly too, but chances are Valve is also pushing HTC to release a relatively more easy to get version of the Vive), and probably being one of the first big main VR titles with a high amount of quality, that will basically blow everyone away with it. There's not yet huge (And I'm talking about AAA titles that were made with VR in mind) games that on Day 1 were released on VR and were marketed with VR in mind, this will be HL3's turn, a mainstream VR title that most people will be able to get and probably being available for Linux customers too.

Half-Life 3 will release. When? I firmly believe on a 2022 date.