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Valve is working on a new, secret game, and it sounds like Portal 3

With Counter-Strike 2 on its way, Valve seems to have a new game in the works, potentially Portal 3, Left 4 Dead 3 or - maybe, just maybe - Half-Life 3.

Valve is working on a new, secret game, and it sounds like Portal 3: A small robot with a blue light, Wheatley from Valve's Portal 2

Now Counter-Strike 2 is on its way, naturally, our imaginations turn to what else Valve might have in the works – and it might, just might, be Portal 3. It’s been 12 years since the last full instalment of the puzzle-driven FPS game, but based on hints from a couple of Valve employees, the studio is working on a new, secret project, that sounds very, very Portal. Or it could be Left 4 Dead 3, or maybe, at last, the practically mythical Half-Life 3. Or perhaps Neon Prime. It’s a mystery, but the house that Steam built is certainly up to something.

Boyang Zhu is an artist currently employed for Valve whose LinkedIn profile says that they are currently working on an “unannounced title.” That in itself isn’t much to go on, but combine that with the profile of Michael Anderson, a level designer at Gravity Well, who reportedly departed Valve earlier this year. Under their Valve experience, they describe something “never-before-seen” which sounds like it has a lot in common with Portal.

“Created a variety of prototypes with my team focused on ambitious, never-before-seen gameplay for an unannounced project,” Anderson writes. “Developed AI, player mechanics, and puzzles from scratch.” You can see the clip from Anderson’s LinkedIn below:

Valve is working on a new, secret game, and it sounds like Portal 3: A LinkedIn profile for a Valve employee that may hint at Portal 3

Naturally, the Half-Life games are also famous for their physics and environment-based puzzles, so it could be – no, it really could be; let us dream – that a new Half-Life is in the works. Or it could be Portal 3. Or it could be Neon Prime, Valve’s third-person shooter which is apparently in the works already, but since it’s already known, might not be what you’d call unannounced.

Anderson’s other game design experience includes working on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019, and serving on the original design team for Apex Legends.

Either way, to paraphrase Cave Johnson, I put unannounced Valve game, FPS level design, and puzzles into my calculator and it makes a happy face. Combine that with comments from Portal writer Erik Wolpaw, who in December said he has an “actual idea” for Portal 3, and things could be looking up.

In the meantime, find out whatever happened to Half-Life 3. You might also want to know all the Counter-Strike 2 changes set to hit the multiplayer shooter, or maybe check out all the upcoming games that we know for sure are landing this year.