Reputable CS leaker claims ‘Half-Life 3 is real’ after three years of datamining

Gabe Follower, a YouTuber and dataminer exclusively exploring the backend of Valve’s titles, has now claimed that Half-Life 3 is very much real. The creator said he spent over three years datamining and working on finding out if Valve is making the title and shared his discoveries.

Gabe Follower first posted on X/Twitter today, Aug. 24, regarding claims that “Half-Life 3 is real.” He also said that “Valve is trying to hide that we’re going back to Xen,” and how leaks point to this potential next Half-Life being a “semi-open world” game with a “weather system, day and night cycle,” where “smart NPCs that can talk to you.” He further stated it took him three years to compile a video showcasing all of these findings, which he shared on YouTube the same day.

In the video, Gabe Follower states that all the previous indications that Half-Life 3 is on its way have been made much clearer with the appearance of Deadlock, Valve’s hero shooter MOBA currently in development which was announced just yesterday. The fact that Deadlock exists and is its own thing allowed Gabe Follower to discern whether or not projects listed in numerous LinkedIn and other profiles, such as Project White Sands, were connected to something separate from the MOBA, which he believes is Half-Life 3.

The creator lists lots of datamined code from other Valve titles, which usually mentions HLX and indicates it will have a playable character wearing an HEV suit and heavily using gravity manipulation, which might play a much bigger role than in other Half-Life entries. Numerous Xen-themed enemies make an appearance in the code as well, with detailed behavior patterns, interactivity, and hostility towards the player.

There also seems to be quite advanced graphics-related code uncovered by the datamining, including realistic hair rendering, physics, and shading, as well as facial expressions, lip-syncing animations, listening, and speaking systems that indicate NPCs will have advanced conversational abilities that Gabe Follower calls “smart NPCs” in the tweet above.

A dynamically changing day and night cycle also appears. The technology has been prominent in the gaming industry for over a decade, and it even features in Dota 2 itself with the time of day changing every five minutes during matches.

Gabe Follower also says the code implies the existence of an open world for this upcoming title alongside a “hyper-developed and realistic vehicle system.” All the accompanying physics seems to be there, with air resistance, friction, mass, dimensions, suspension, tires, engines, and transmissions. Players might have access to more than one transportation option, so we might not be stuck using just the buggy like in Half-Life 2.

Though Gabe Follower is utterly convinced Half-Life 3 is real, it’s hard to make a definitive judgment at this point. Valve is almost certainly working on something aside from Deadlock, and given how frequently Half-Life 3 indications and leaks have been popping up lately, it might just be it. However, the elusive number three has been avoiding us for 17 straight years, so let’s not get our hopes too high just yet.