- Valve-focused journalist Tyler McVicker says Valve is working on new exciting projects
- These include an interesting sounding squad-based tactical FPS with RTS elements
- Valve has not yet confirmed nor denied anything
A game journalist and data miner recently shared information that suggests Valve is working on a new FPS/RTS combo title, as well as CS:GO and Half-Life projects.
The Data Mining Shows Interesting Projects
Valve has been somewhat unfamous when it comes to releasing sequels for their games. The running joke is that the studio cannot count to three, as all their games only seem to have two iterations – Half-Life 2, Portal 2, Team Fortress 2, etc.
Despite that, Valve at least releases other spin-off games of their most popular titles, such as the critically acclaimed VR Game Half-Life: Alyx. An extensive data mining on the recently released Aperture Desk Job might suggest that the studio is working on a new Half-Life project, as well as some other unannounced titles.
The source code for Aperture Desk Job was released on March 1 and a search conducted by Valve-focused journalist Tyler McVicker suggests that the game company is working on a project called “Citadel”. Nothing is yet confirmed, but Half-Life fans can probably link the title with the eponymous location in HL2. McVicker describes this project as a “Combine vs rebels, team-based, squad-based, class-based RTS/FPS hybrid…with a single-player campaign and two major systems at play.”
Described like this, this almost seems like a combination between Rainbow 6: Siege and XCom. The FPS side of the game revolves around the use of abilities, which are “held items” that include weapons, weapon upgrades, alternative fire, ammo, grenades, buffs, etc. On the other hand, the RTS side of the game seems to involve units, which the player-commander deploys on the field from a top-down perspective. Like their FPS counterparts, these units also include various class differences and abilities.
What Else Did McViker Find?
The data mine also revealed other projects Valve is working on. A similar thing happened to Activision Blizzard when a few months ago data miners revealed Blizzard is working on several interesting titles, including a game called “Iris”, as well as Overwatch 2.
According to McVicker's finds, Valve is developing a Half-Life: Alyx “follow up,” a port of CS:GO to the Source 2 engine, and a “recreation of the previously canceled Portal paint game.” Regarding CS, it's been talked about a lot over the past few years that the game will be moving to a new engine. Many see this as potentially resparking attention to the game. And when it comes to the potential sequel to Alyx, it perhaps should come as no surprise, as the game was received very well, and contributed to the incredible sales of the Valve Index VR headset.
Of course, one has to take all of these finds with a grain of salt, because Valve has not yet officially confirmed any of these projects. Sadly, it seems the Half-Life 3 meme still holds valid.
