‘Half-Life 3 confirmed’ jokes are now about as old as…well, as old as Half-Life 2, but it might be Valve who gets the last laugh as it’s being reported that Valve co-founder Gabe Newell is teasing the release of a new addition to the series.
ComicBook, who cites a since-deleted YouTube video as its source, states that Newell responded to a fan email and confirmed a new Half-Life game will release “in the next four to five years.”

Note that, even if this is true, Newell didn’t specifically say “Half-Life 3,” so we could be looking at VR, some sort of port or *shudder* a mobile game.
Over on Twitter, supposed screenshots seem to show that Newell responded to another fan who asked whether they’d get a “new chapter of the game” before they died. Newell reportedly said: “Just don’t die in the next five years of so [winky face].”
Waiting for the next Chapter in the Half Life Series, and recently, Gabe Newell has been answering emails from the community, and some asked this. This isn’t edited, this is real…
And I can’t believe it…
If he isn’t joking…then HL2 Ep 3 or HL3 will release…
I’m Shook pic.twitter.com/KA7jRSUhnW
— Declan Downs (@TheSnitchStudio) March 18, 2019

If the idea of Newell using a winky face – or even responding to fan questions via email – doesn’t sit well with you, you won’t be surprised to learn that there are people who are claiming the reports are false.
We can confirm from Valve that the recent email circulated by @ValveNewsNetwor, claiming Gabe Newell had suggested a new Half-Life game would be released in the next 5 years, is fake.
— LambdaGeneration (@LambdaGen) March 19, 2019

Still, people aren’t giving up on the dream.
a new half life game would be released in the next 5 years is fake,but it would be release in the next year instead!
— NotherDaySon (@DayNother) March 19, 2019
Come one, Valve, just give us Half-Life 3!
Featured Image Credit: Valve