"Half Life 3" continues to be shrouded in mystery, and the question of whether or not it is actually in development remains unanswered, and now, recent news would seemingly suggest that the game could be in serious danger of never being made.

Marc Laidlaw, writer of the "Half Life" series, has just recently left Valve, and that bit of news has led fans to speculate about the game's future.

For those who may not know, Laidlaw was as big a part of creating the series as anyone over at the company. 

As Tech Radar reported, Laidlaw was responsible not just for writing the series but also for level design, and it would seemingly be hard to imagine the "Half Life" franchise being as beloved as it is now without the former Valve employee's contributions.

For now, Laidlaw says that he needs a break from the game industry, and that he would like to focus more on other writing projects. Whether his comments mean that he will eventually return to Valve after a while is unclear, although he has certainly indicated that fate of the "Half Life" franchise is currently not one of his main concerns.

Laidlaw's departure is certainly a big hit to the chances of "Half Life 3" being made, but as some fans have speculated, his resignation may also mean that he has already completed on his work on the game and is thus free to pursue other ventures. Whether or not this is true is known only to Laidlaw, and he will likely not be sharing any further news about it.

For fans who want to remain positive and choose to believe that "Half Life 3" will still be coming soon, there are some rumors suggesting that a new movie based on the rumored game is actually set to come out next year, Neurogadget reported. Rumors even suggest that Edward Norton will be the movie's protagonist.

A "Half Life 3" movie still mainly exists only in rumors for now, and fans hoping the game may still be made surely want to hope that Laidlaw's departure is just a stumbling block in the process and not the end of the virtual road.