A simple three-letter codename is all the buzz lately, with ‘HLX’ supposedly referring to the much-anticipated Half-Life 3. And now, that codename has been officially mentioned by a Valve employee (clear as day) for the first time. During a Valve Q&A session yesterday at GameSoundCon in California, Valve composer and developer Mike Morasky specifically mentioned HLX in an apparent slip-up.

“I think Deadlock has their own version of HDR, HLX has its own version, so on and so forth,” said Morasky. A colleague to his left seemingly mutters “nice work” under his breath, which seems to confirm the slip-up. The clip was shared by Valve-focused leaker Tyler McVicker – one person who has never really given up with Half-Life 3 leaks and speculation – now up to episode #20 in his HLX Files YouTube series.

Another clip making the rounds online shows Morasky’s colleague whispering to him after the end of the recent Q&A session. “Good job, you only said HLX once, they say, with the Valve composer seemingly responding with “Oh, did I?” Interestingly enough, it’s not the first time Morasky has made a similar gaffe, so does Valve really care at this point? Probably not nearly enough to give Morasky the axe (as many commenters are humorously, or maybe not, suggesting online).

Not really the first time this has happened

The very same Mike Morasky spoke in an interview over a year ago, where he seems to start saying the HLX codename, before stuttering and conveniently morphing it into “Half-Life: Alyx,” Valve’s popular VR title released in 2019. We suppose we’ll let you decide on this one. In a much older video, Morasky also mentions “both the Half-Life games” he’s worked on, before correcting himself, as he’s only officially worked on Alyx so far. Fans have come to expect HLX, even more so now, but it’s still really a question of when.

It has been more than 19 years since Half-Life 2: Episode Two was released (in October 2007), and Valve has yet to resolve its cliffhanger ending. Any mention of Half-Life 3 leaks is usually met with some kind of eye roll, but at the same time, a tiny glimpse of hope. After all, insiders were “adamant” about HL3 launching with the Steam Machine, but of course, that never happened.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.