Half-Life will never die. Yes, Half-Life 3 has been in the mist for 16 years now. But the FPS game series that brought us Gordon Freeman, Black Mesa, Alyx Vance, and more will never be forgotten – and now there’s cast-iron proof. As part of a huge community event, Half-Life Opposing Force has a dramatic new record for concurrent players on Steam, demonstrating that – in the 19 years since Half-Life 2, and with the wonderful addition of Half-Life Alyx – the fandom remains as strong as ever. I hope Valve is still working on a new Half-Life. The anticipation and love for the series continues to burn bright.
On Sunday, August 13, Half-Life players united as part of Opposing the Bar, a community event with the single, simple objective of setting a new record for concurrent Steam players in the Half-Life expansion Opposing Force. The previous record was a relatively small 620 players. By getting as many people as possible to open up the shooter on Steam for at least an hour, Opposing the Bar aimed to beat that.
“Many people who are new to these events often ask us about ‘why do we do these?’” co-organizer ‘Radiation Hazard’ explained ahead of the event. “It’s plain and simple. [Fellow organizer] Noclick and I do these events to bring together the community and celebrate our favorite games with our dear viewers. Valve may or may not care about this franchise any more, but we do. Let’s show them how the HECU handles the situation.”
So, to set a new record, all that was needed was 621 players. Well, as of this writing – just after the conclusion of Opposing the Bar – Half-Life Opposing Force’s concurrent player record stands at a much, much more massive 5,639, totally demolishing the previous peak and even blasting through Opposing the Bar’s stretch goal.
“We did it,” co-organizer NoClick writes on Twitter. Valve content creator and community account ‘Lambda Generation’ also celebrates the new record, and shares a comment from one follower suggesting a similar attempt for the other Half-Life expansion, Blue Shift. “Good job everyone,” the comment shared by Lambda Generation says. “Until next time. Shifting The Bar perhaps?”
If you’re a big Half-Life fan and miss the halcyon days of the boomer shooter, you’ll find plenty of fun among the best old games. Alternatively, you can read all about whatever happened to Half-Life 3, which surely – surely – will one day materialize.