Valve isn't prepared to talk about Half-Life 2: Episode 3, despite the last episodic instalment having been released almost four years ago.
Here's the poetic email a Reddit user allegedly sent to Newell, followed by his supposed response.
Do you like haikus?
I like to write them sometimes...
Episode 3 soon?
Haikus are neato
They have a rigid structure
Episode 3 ships in
Earlier this week a Vietnamese beta tester leaked Valve's Dota 2 beta client, leading fans to discover what they believe to be references to Half-Life 2: Episode 3 in the unfinished game's code.
A folder called simply 'ep3' in the Dota client makes reference to a flamethrower, "ice gun", plus "liquid", "concrete" and "metal" "weaponizers".
Comments
12 comments so far...
Ganja_Ninja on 22 Sep '11 said:
Gabe Newall - Master Troller.
WHERESMYMONKEY on 22 Sep '11 said:
We should all go to Valve and protest. The last one ended quite well. Valve bought them pizza and took them for a tour round the offices.
Or we boycotte steam untill they tell us when episode 3 is coming out.... or umm. write them a really angy letter like dear sir or maddam angry.
Then again maybe if we're nice to valve they'll tell us. Maybe send them a cake. Gabe looks like he'd like a bit of cake.
The_KFD_Case on 22 Sep '11 said:
^^This. Both the Reddit e-mail and Newell's supposed response drew a chuckle from me though.
rubblemaker on 22 Sep '11 said:
Gabe replied to one of my emails once with a single line. He really is the master of saying not much, bless him.
Anyway, looks like he forgot to finish this one so I'll finish it for him...
2021.
justforkicks101 on 22 Sep '11 said:
gabe "the bear" teasing again
i do love him
TOKEN on 22 Sep '11 said:
i wonder if therell have a new game engine or an improved one,im still waitng for Black Mesa unless it comes released with EP3 and TF2.
B_G_G on 22 Sep '11 said:
I actually went and had a look at the Black Mesa site on Monday. It wasn't what I'd call lively.
In fact it reminded me of that boy you find halfway through Limbo, with the flies and the decomposition.
slothfull9 on 22 Sep '11 said:
The Black Mesa site says:
Sounds ominously like 3D Realms, and we all know what happened to them.
The_KFD_Case on 22 Sep '11 said:
However, unlike 3D Realms, Valve haven't been resting on their laurels. They've released several games that have been both critically acclaimed by the gaming media press and been financial successes. Then there is that thing known as "Steam"....While I have hated against it in the past, and I still oppose digital rights management in just about any form that somehow impinges upon customer's rights, at least Steam doesn't gimp the actual games, nor install hidden malware, nor damage your PC hardware, nor tell you what software you can or can not have running in the background, etc. Also, Valve have bought other software companies. Valve is most likely not going under any time soon barring some catastrophic cascade of unfortunate events.
willjoea on 22 Sep '11 said:
The next dollar Valve makes off of me will be on Half Life 2: Episode 3. Nuff said....
Welsh Jester on 22 Sep '11 said:
Hope it has updated visuals at least as good as Portal 2 or better, i want a game that runs great with no slowdown and great graphics, doesn't have to be the best graphics as crysis showed us it runs like crap on even the best graphics cards on release. Speed (60fps) -> graphics
So i would not be disappointed if it's not Half Life 3, as long as EP3 is long.. hmm nah i'd prefer HL3
PeterCrouch on 23 Sep '11 said:
HL2 and the episodes are my fave games ever. There has never been a better single player story game in my opinion, and I would happily drown ten sacks full of kittens just to see the box art for the game. I just want valve to make it BEFORE I DIE! Is that too much to ask Gabe, eh? I know they do make some fantastic games, some of the best around, and I know that's down to working on valve time ( it's finished when it's finished ) which gives nothing but the highest quality. But I'm getting very frustrated with the amount of time that has passed since episode 2, not to mention the lack of any concrete info just makes my blood boil.