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Unreleased Half-Life games

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Half-Life is a series of first-person shooter games created and published by Valve. Since the release of the original Half-Life for Windows in 1998, several ports, expansion packs and sequels have been canceled, including projects developed by other studios.

In 1999, Valve canceled a Half-Life port for Mac developed by Logicware. Half-Life: Hostile Takeover, an expansion pack for Half-Life developed by 2015, Inc, was cancelled in 2000. In 2001, Sierra, the publisher of the original Half-Life, canceled a port for Dreamcast after Sega announced its discontinuation.

After releasing Half-Life 2: Episode Two in 2007, Valve struggled to settle on a direction for a new Half-Life game. Episode Three was canceled after Valve abandoned episodic development and began developing a new game engine, Source 2. Another Half-Life 2 episode, by Junction Point Studios, was canceled after Junction Point was acquired by Disney Interactive Studios. Valve moved the project to Arkane Studios, who developed it as Ravenholm, set in a town infested with zombies. Valve canceled it as they felt it was creatively restrained.

Valve developed Half-Life 3 between 2013 and 2014, experimenting with procedurally generated levels, but canceled it as the Source 2 engine was still unfinished. A virtual reality (VR) game set on a time-travelling ship, Borealis, was canceled as the VR technology and tools were not complete.

Half-Life era (1998–2004)

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Half-Life: Hostile Takeover

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On November 23, 1999, GameSpot reported that 2015, Inc. was developing a Half-Life expansion pack to follow Half-Life: Opposing Force. 2015, Inc declined to comment.[1] On March 18, 2000, the Adrenaline Vault reported that the new expansion was named Half-Life: Hostile Takeover, and that it had appeared on retail product lists with a release date of late August.[2] On August 7, the Adrenaline Vault reported that Sierra, the publisher of Half-Life, had informed them that Hostile Takeover had been canceled. The stock keeping unit for Hostile Takeover was repurposed by online retailers for Half-Life: Counter-Strike.[3] On June 21, 2001, Valve filed a video game trademark for "Hostile Takeover". After several extensions, the trademark expired on October 3, 2004.[4]

Dreamcast port

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On February 14, 2000, Sierra announced that a port of Half-Life for the Dreamcast console was in development by Captivation Digital Laboratories with Valve and Gearbox Software. The Dreamcast port would feature improvements including higher-polygon characters and new lighting effects. Gearbox, who had developed Opposing Force, created a new single-player campaign for the Dreamcast port, Half-Life: Blue Shift, focusing on the security guard Barney.[5]

The port was delayed to September 2000,[6] then November,[7] when game publications began to receive early copies for review. Reception was mixed, with criticism for the inconsistent frame rate, long loading times and lack of online play.[8][9] Sierra planned to release a version with online multiplayer using SegaNet. The Gearbox CEO, Randy Pitchford, said he suggested including additional multiplayer modes and mods from the Windows version, including Team Fortress Classic and the multiplayer modes from Opposing Force.[10][11] Sierra delayed the port again and said they hoped to finish development that year.[12]

On March 29, 2001, Sierra announced that Blue Shift would be released for Windows[13] along with the new models developed for the Dreamcast version, as part of the Half-Life High Definition Pack.[14] On June 16, 2001, four days after the release of Blue Shift, Sierra announced that it had canceled the Dreamcast port, citing "changing market conditions".[15] It was weeks away from its release date and virtually complete.[16] In 2013, a late version of the Dreamcast port leaked online, featuring complete versions of Half-Life and Blue Shift.[17][unreliable source]

Mac port

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A version of Half-Life for Mac OS was announced by Logicware on April 23, 1999.[18] However, Valve canceled it a few months later in October 1999.[19] The Valve CEO, Gabe Newell, said the port was substandard, citing a separate multiplayer network, no automatic update utility and the inability to include Valve's multiplayer mod Team Fortress Classic. He said he did not want to make Mac players "second-class customers" and preferred to write off the investment rather than "take money from Mac customers and short-change them".[19] Rebecca Heineman, the co-founder of Logicware, denied this, saying that Valve cancelled the port as Apple had angered them by misrepresenting sales projections. She said the port was complete and three weeks from release.[20] In 2013, Valve released a port for OS X.[21]

Half-Life 2 era (2004–2007)

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Half-Life 2: Episode Three

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Main article: Half-Life 2: Episode Three

In May 2006, Valve announced a trilogy of episodic games that would continue the story of Half-Life 2 (2004).[22] Episode One was released in 2006, followed by Episode Two in 2007.[23][24] Episode Three was initially announced for Christmas 2007 and was highly anticipated.[25][26] Valve released little information in the following years, and in 2011 Wired described it as vaporware.[27]

Valve canceled Episode Three as they had become fatigued with Half-Life and struggled to discover settle on gameplay mechanics. They eventually abandoned episodic development, as they wanted to create more ambitious games.[28][29][30] Additionally, they had started developing a new game engine, Source 2. As developing Half-Life 2 and the original Source engine simultaneously had created problems, Valve delayed development of a new Half-Life until Source 2 was complete.[28]

In 2017, the Half-Life writer, Marc Laidlaw, released a short story that journalists speculated was a summary of the Episode Three plot.[31] In 2024, Valve released footage and concept art of Episode Three as part of a documentary about the making of Half-Life 2.[32]

Junction Point Studios episode

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Warren Spector (pictured in 2010) led development of a canceled Half-Life 2 episode.

Another Half-Life 2 episode was developed by Junction Point Studios, led by Warren Spector. The episode showed how Ravenholm became the town seen in Half-Life 2, infested with headcrabs and zombies, and saw the return of the character of Father Grigori.[33] It included a "magnet gun", which fired projectiles that magnetized metal surfaces and attracted objects and enemies, and was used for combat and puzzles.[34]

Junction Point worked on the game for a year, producing enough content to demonstrate one section, and a vertical slice that demonstrated the magnet gun. Valve lost interest in the project and Junction Point, who had been acquired by Disney Interactive Studios partway through, canceled it to instead develop Epic Mickey.[35][36][37] Images of the game appeared in early 2017.[33]

Ravenholm

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In 2007 or 2008, Valve gave the Junction Point project to Arkane Studios in Lyon, France. They developed it into a standalone game with the working title Ravenholm.[38] Some sources referred to it as Episode Four.[39][40]

Players controlled Adrian Shephard from Opposing Force, working alongside Father Grigori, who had taken refuge in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Grigori was experimenting with the effects of headcrab venom on himself, and would mutate through the story. The player would use the magnet gun and traps created by Grigori against enemies. Arkane also implemented a nail gun that could create paths to conduct electricity and set traps.[38]

Valve gave Arkane freedom to develop Ravenholm, as they had with Gearbox and Opposing Force, providing feedback and technical support.[38] With approximately one year left of development, Valve canceled the project. The Arkane founder, Raphaël Colantonio, believed that Valve decided it would be too expensive.[38] Laidlaw said Valve felt the premise was creatively constrained,[41][42][40] and that Arkane, like Valve with Episode Three, had struggled to discover fun new game mechanics with the Half-Life 2 tools.[43] Ravenholm was first shown publicly in a 2020 Noclip documentary.[38] Noclip released an hour of gameplay footage in 2022.[44]

Source 2 era (2007–2020)

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Half-Life 3

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"Half-Life 3" redirects here. Not to be confused with Half-Life 2: Episode Three or Half-Life: Alyx.

Half-Life 3 was in development between 2013 and 2014. Valve planned to use procedurally generated levels alongside a "crafted experience", similar to the Left 4 Dead series; the game would generate different routes through environments each time it was played. The team took new scans of the face of Frank Sheldon, whose likeness was used for the G-Man character in Half-Life 2. The Source 2 engine was still unfinished and the project was canceled early in development.[45]

Borealis

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Before his departure from Valve in 2016, Laidlaw led a virtual reality project on the Source 2 engine, Borealis, set on the time-travelling ship mentioned in Episode Two and Portal 2. The game would skip between the Combine's conquering of Earth before Half-Life 2 and a time set shortly after Episode Two. A minigame in which players would fish off the bow of the ship was also proposed.[45] Laidlaw said the project ended because it was too early to be working in VR: "When people are struggling with the basic tools they need to rough out a concept, it's hard to convey any sort of vision, and it all evaporated pretty quickly."[46]

References

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  1. ^ Ajami, Amer (November 23, 1999). "New Half-Life Add-on Coming". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 1, 2000. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Laprad, David (March 18, 2000). "New Half-Life Expansion Coming". The Adrenaline Vault. Archived from the original on June 7, 2000. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Laprad, David (August 7, 2000). "Confusion Surrounds Half-Life Add-On Pre-Sales". The Adrenaline Vault. Archived from the original on May 21, 2001. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "HOSTILE TAKEOVER". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "HALF-LIFE(tm) COMING TO SEGA DREAMCAST(tm)". Blue's News. February 14, 2000. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Half-Life Dreamcast commercial. Combine OverWiki. August 9, 2010. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2020 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "Half-Life: Blue Shift Announced". Blue's News. February 14, 2000. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Nair, Chandra (January 2001). "Half-Life". Dreamcast Magazine (15). Paragon Publishing: 56–58.
  9. ^ "Half-Life Dreamcast Review". Computer and Video Games (228).
  10. ^ Bramwell, Tom (September 26, 2000). "Half-Life Dreamcast Multiplayer". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "Dreamcast Previews: Half-Life Feature Preview". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 25, 2001. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Satterfield, Shane (November 8, 2000). "Sierra Explains Half-Life Delay". GameSpot. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  13. ^ "Ready to Jump Back into the Black Mesa Research Facility?". IGN. March 29, 2001. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  14. ^ "Half-Life: Blue Shift Q&A". GameSpot. May 3, 2001. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  15. ^ Satterfield, Shane (June 15, 2001). "Half-Life for the Dreamcast officially cancelled". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  16. ^ Chau, Anthony (June 18, 2001). "Not Given Half A Chance: The Cancellation of Half-Life". IGN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2002. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  17. ^ "Beta Half-Life for Sega Dreamcast". nextdimension. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  18. ^ "SIERRA STUDIOS TO DELIVER BEST-SELLING HALF-LIFE TO THE MAC". Archived from the original on May 11, 2000.
  19. ^ a b "Mac Half-Life Cancelled - Blue's News Story". www.bluesnews.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Rebecca Heineman - Developer & Co-Founder of Interplay | Retro Tea Break. February 2, 2023. Event occurs at 1:36:41 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Ingraham, Nathan (January 25, 2013). "Original Half-Life finally available for OS X through Steam nearly 15 years after its release". The Verge. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "Half-Life 2: Episode One gold, Two dated, Three announced". GameSpot. May 24, 2006. Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
  23. ^ "Half-Life: Episode One on Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  24. ^ "Half-Life 2: Episode Two". Metacritic. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  25. ^ "Half-Life 2: Episode One gold, Two dated, Three announced". GameSpot. May 24, 2006. Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
  26. ^ Gilbert, Ben (August 25, 2017). "The world's most anticipated game may never come out — so its writer leaked the story". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  27. ^ Calore, Michael (January 3, 2011). "Vaporware 2010: The Great White Duke". Wired. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  28. ^ a b Marks, Tom (March 23, 2020). "Valve Explains Why Half-Life 2: Episode 3 Was Never Made". IGN. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  29. ^ "Why Valve Gave Up On 'Multiple' Half-Life 3s". Kotaku. March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  30. ^ "Why Valve Gave Up On 'Multiple' Half-Life 3s". Kotaku. March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  31. ^ Gilbert, Ben (August 25, 2017). "The world's most anticipated game may never come out — so its writer leaked the story". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  32. ^ Wilde, Tyler (November 16, 2024). "'My personal failure was being stumped': Gabe Newell says finishing Half-Life 2: Episode Three just to conclude the story would've been 'copping out of [Valve's] obligation to gamers'". PC Gamer. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  33. ^ a b Scott-Jones, Richard (March 27, 2017). "Ravenholm features in another cancelled Half-Life 2 episode, now with snow and magnetism". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  34. ^ Benson, Julian (September 20, 2017). "Warren Spector reveals how the magnet gun would have worked in cancelled Half-Life episode". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  35. ^ Turi, Tim (April 24, 2015). "Abandoned Half-Life Episode Featured Magnet Gun, Warren Spector Says". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  36. ^ Lane, Rick (November 8, 2017). "Warren Spector discusses his cancelled Half-Life 2 Ravenholm Episode". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  37. ^ "Disney buys game developer Junction Point". Los Angeles Times. July 13, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  38. ^ a b c d e The Untold History of Arkane: Dishonored / Prey / Ravenholm / LMNO / The Crossing. Noclip. May 26, 2020. Event occurs at 33:00. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ Sheridan, Connor (May 21, 2020). "Half-Life 2: Episode 4 footage emerges a decade after it was canceled". GamesRadar. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  40. ^ a b McLeand, Kirk (December 5, 2015). "Half-Life 2: Episode Four - Return to Ravenholm forgotten screens surface". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  41. ^ "Marc Laidlaw On The Cancelled Half-Life Spin-offs: Return To Ravenholm And "Episode Four"". LambdaGeneration. January 13, 2012. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  42. ^ Savage, Phil (January 15, 2013). "Half-Life 2: Episode 4 was being developed by Arkane; now cancelled". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  43. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (November 15, 2024). "Valve reveals early gameplay of canceled Half-Life 2 Episode 3 and why it never got finished". Kotaku. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  44. ^ Wheeler, C. J. (May 6, 2022). "A full hour of Arkane's scrapped Half-Life game Ravenholm has emerged". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  45. ^ a b Skrebels, Joe (July 9, 2020). "Details of multiple cancelled Valve projects revealed, including Half-Life 3". IGN. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  46. ^ Peel, Jeremy (March 1, 2023). "'The narrative had to be baked into the corridors': Marc Laidlaw on writing Half-Life". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
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