Ex-Valve Writer Faliszek Will Not Write Half-Life 3

On May 15, Chet Faliszek, who co-wrote Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two at Valve, posted a video on his YouTube channel rejecting the idea of writing Half-Life 3. He responded to a viewer who wrote that a third numbered entry would be “so incredibly easy” and answered that he “wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.”

He opened the video by clarifying he was not announcing new Half-Life work: “This is not saying that something’s happening, not trying to allude to anything. I’m going to talk about some stuff from like 10-plus years ago. I’m not trying to say anything. OK?”

Faliszek explained his reluctance stems from working inside large, detailed continuities rather than an objection to the Half-Life franchise specifically. He referenced conversations with another studio and noted that the volume of existing lore “terrifies” him, calling sequels “a disaster nightmare” he does not want to take on.

He also used series references in a joke about the gravity gun and the robot companion Dog, repeating that he would not get involved even with that tool in play.

Faliszek left Valve in 2017 and has no current role at the company. His remarks do not indicate whether Valve is developing a numbered Half-Life sequel.

Valve released the VR game Half-Life: Alyx in 2020, and the studio has not announced a direct sequel to Half-Life 2. It has been 22 years since Half-Life 2 launched. Faliszek’s comments make clear he will not be the writer for a future numbered installment.