The Half-Life player count on Steam has reached epic numbers following its anniversary update release last week, which includes restored content, improvements, and more. The surge in players is a testament to the iconic game which has managed to withstand the test of time since its release 25 years ago. Steam currently reports an average of 4,177 players, and a peak count of 33,467, which translates to an over 707% increase in just 30 days. At the time of this writing, it is averaging around thirteen thousand players.
Half-Life 3
Perhaps Valve will take the hint as the current Half-Life player count clearly indicates that there’s plenty of interest in the franchise. Fans have long hoped for a third installment, which Valve has largely been silent about but has not totally denied either. News regarding a third game has ranged from not being in development to rumored details about a 2015 project that progressed a bit and was then canceled. It was said the story for Half-Life 3 would’ve taken place twenty years after the second game, and involved elements of Portal 2 as well. However, it has also been pointed out that if the project were to resume this storyline would have to be changed due to the story events of Half-Life Alyx.
Per Metro.co UK:
“This build apparently began with protagonist Gordon Freeman experiencing a dream sequence of the Seven Hour War (which took place before Half-Life 2 and saw the alien Combine take over Earth) before waking up in Aperture Science, the setting of the Portal games.”
“Upon escaping the labs, Gordon would discover it’s been 20 years since the last game, several characters from Half-Life 2 are dead, and he is now in the ruins of a North American city.”
Meanwhile, Valve could use the renewed interest in the franchise as the perfect time to strike with news of a new project, while the iron is still hot.