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Half-Life 2: Episode Three is one of the most famous cancelled games in gaming history. Valve originally planned to release it as the final chapter of the Half-Life 2 episodic series, but the project never saw the light of day. And while fans have spent nearly two decades waiting for a proper continuation, it seems that some of the game’s original development files have now surfaced online.
According to reports, source code and assets from the cancelled Half-Life 2: Episode Three have reportedly leaked online, giving fans a rare look at what Valve was working on before abandoning the project. The leak was first brought to our attention through a post on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit.
The files reportedly appeared on a Discord server dedicated to researching early versions of Portal 2. Interestingly, the leaked material doesn’t just include content from Episode Three, as previously unreleased Portal 2 beta maps and files from other Valve projects have also surfaced. It hasn’t been long since the canned Portal prequel F-Stop was leaked online, either.
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Source code comes from an anonymous source
Lambda Generation, a community dedicated to the Half-Life series, has also reported that the leaked files include source code from Episode Three. However, it has warned fans that the material could contain spoilers related to the cancelled game’s story and development.
As for where the files came from, the identity of the person responsible for the leak remains unknown. However, there are suggestions that the same individual may have been involved in the recent leak of assets from F-Stop, an abandoned Portal project that featured a unique photography-based gameplay mechanic.
What’s particularly interesting is that the Episode Three files may come from a development build dating back to 2008. Other reports suggest that the leaked material could also include content from later development attempts in 2012 or 2015.
For those unfamiliar with the history, Half-Life 2: Episode Two was released back in October 2007 as part of The Orange Box. It ended on a major cliffhanger, leaving players waiting to find out what would happen next to protagonist Gordon Freeman and deuteragonist Alyx Vance.
Episode Three was supposed to continue that story, with the mysterious Borealis research ship expected to play an important role. However, Valve eventually moved away from the project as it focused on other games and technology, including Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, and the Source 2 engine. There’s also the rumored ‘HLX’ project, which is expected to be Half-Life 3 (rather than Episode Three).
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