Valve registers mystery new trademark, NEON PRIME

Valve hasn’t been super active in creating new games internally over recent years, only releasing a few new titles to pair with its classics like the Half-Life franchise and continued support for games like Dota 2 and CS:GO. But a new filing from the company with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) already has fans speculating. 

The trademark was for the name NEON PRIME, with the listing noting that it is “intended to cover the categories of computer game software, electronic game software, video game software, computer game programs downloadable via the internet.”

That doesn’t really narrow down what NEON PRIME could be, and companies like Valve file things like this somewhat frequently with them eventually leading to nothing. But the mystery and timing for a registration like this do leave a lot of room for guesswork while the trademark itself is still up for examination, which means it hasn’t been granted yet and could still fall through. 

Outside of updates to its live-service titles and work with other projects like Steam and the Steam Deck, Valve has spent most of its development time working with existing IP in unique ways. 

Half-Life: Alyx was developed as a VR title within the existing Half-Life universe—taking place five years before Half-Life 2. Likewise, Aperture Desk Job brings players back into the Portal universe but was developed specifically to be a tech demo for the Steam Deck. 

That lack of recent development history with bigger titles, along with the overall success of Steam does have fans approaching this news with a healthy dose of skepticism. 

Outside of the multiple fans pointing to a Half-Life card game and other potential games that this could end up being, a lot of early speculation centers around NEON PRIME being tied to software that Valve could use for its games. This ranges from it being a new anti-cheat system, an add-on for CS:GO Prime status or something that will add more functionality to Steam. 

We likely won’t learn the truth about NEON PRIME for some time, and even Valve is still waiting for the trademark to be approved. Knowing how Valve operates on its own time, expect to wait at least a year before seeing this develop into something tangible if it does at all.