20 years. It’s been 20 years since the launch of Half-Life 2. The episodes kept the story going, and Half-Life Alyx flipped the whole world on its head, but in terms of playing a new mainline entry in the epochal FPS series, it’s been two decades. What’s next for Gordon Freeman? What’s going on with the Borealis? Who is G-Man? We still have no idea. But Half-Life 3, despite its now mythical status, might actually be alive after all. There are recent rumblings about Valve’s ostensibly upcoming shooter Deadlock. Now, a leak from an actor’s CV suggests – possibly, maybe, hopefully – something new from the Half-Life world.
Whatever happened to Half-Life 3? It’s not like Valve has been idle. Between Half-Life Alyx, Steam Deck, Counter-Strike 2, and now Deadlock, an announcement for which was also hinted recently, the developer and Steam owner has had plenty to do in the last few years. But the FPS game sequel likely remains top of most Valve fans’ wishlists. Half-Life 2, or at least, the extended HL2 saga, ends on one heck of a cliffhanger – there’s still so much we don’t know. If Half-Life 3 ever does arrive, the expectations are going to be enormous. A new leak might be a clue that the white whale of shooter sequels is actually in the works.
Natasha Chandel is a prolific actor and performer whose credits include Starfield, Valorant, Fallout 76, and Call of Duty. Their online portfolio references a ‘Project White Sands.’ Their specific role isn’t mentioned, but Chandel lists Project White Sands as a Valve production. After the credit was spotted by Valve fans, Chandel’s site seems to have been updated and mention of Project White Sands has been removed.
So, how does this link to Half-Life? White Sands is a national park and missile range in the state of New Mexico. Black Mesa, Gordon Freeman’s former employer and the underground lab from the first Half-Life is located in the New Mexico desert. On first impression, that seems like a pretty direct hint at a new Half-Life game. On the contrary, if this is meant to be secret, it would be counterintuitive to make such an overt reference.
Maybe the fact that this is so patently a nod to Half-Life means that Project White Sands isn’t connected to the series at all. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Or maybe it’s all just nothing. It’s been 20 years. Whatever this turns out to be, I’m sure we can wait a little longer.
In the meantime, all the best upcoming PC games should be enough to keep us busy, or you can enjoy some more ’90s and ’00s shooter nostalgia with the best old games still accessible today.
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