Half-Life 2 and Portal Writer Leaves Valve

Following the departure of writers Marc Laidlaw and Eric Wolpaw, Chet Faliszek who worked on Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two, as well as Portal, Portal 2, the Left 4 Dead games, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Dota 2 has left Valve as well.

Aside from the all but obvious implication that no writer who worked on any Half-Life game remains at company, it also becomes abundantly clear that Valve has moved away from games — or at least single-player games in their entirety.

"I worked there 12 years, shipped a bunch of great games and some amazing hardware and wanted to change things up. There's no news on what's next etc, I will let you know when that happens,” Faliszek said to GamesIndustry.biz.

Previously topped assets related to what should have been Half-Life 2: Episode Three were leaked on the Internet.

“On March 24, 2017, an unknown individual leaked the original map files for the Half-Life 2 episodes. These uncompiled source files show us the different development stages of the games,” claims Valve fan site ValveTime.net. The post goes on to state what could have been the next Half-Life game.

“This map appears to be from the cancelled Half-Life 2 episode which was being developed by Junction Point Studios in late 2005. It takes place in a snow-themed version of Ravenholm which includes small puzzles, scripted sequences, and fights. This game is not related to Arkane Studios' cancelled Episode Four, also known as Return to Ravenholm, which would have also take place in the town,” the post reads.

“It is implied that the player crashes into a warehouse in a gondola. He wakes up in a room with two unique characters named Duncan and Scooter. There is a train station and buildings nearby. A group of rebels and Combine Soldiers fight on the streets.”