'Half-Life 3' release date: Mini-appearance at E3?

A screenshot from 'Half Life 2: Episode One'.Half Life 2: Episode One website

One of the games that already reached mythical status is that of Valve's supposedly third iteration of the successful "Half-Life" title. However, there are conflicting reports on what the status of the title is, or if "Half-Life 3" would be coming at all. 

Early this year, Valve's main boss Gabe Newell shared his thoughts on the possibility of a "Half-Life 3," saying that it will depend on the production team's efforts. Newell already knows how popular a third installment of "Half-Life" is for gaming fans.

He stated, "The only reason we'd go back and do like a super classic kind of product is if a whole bunch of people just internally at Valve said they wanted to do it and had a reasonable explanation for why [they did]." 

Moreover, it seems that Valve is still reeling from the glitches and bad breaks they got when they launched "Portal 2."

"But you know if you want to do another Half-Life game and you want to ignore everything we've learned in shipping 'Portal 2' and in shipping all the updates on the multiplayer side, that seems like a bad choice," Newell added. "So we'll keep moving forward. But that doesn't necessarily always mean what people are worried that it might mean." 

However, Valve's reticence in confirming a possible "Half-Life 3" seems to be contradictory to recent moves by the company. Valve has been quoted as using "Half-Life" elements in showcasing a virtual reality presentation at this year's Game Developer's Conference. More recently, a new update has been seen on Steam's website, featuring what is supposedly the new and updated logo for "Half-Life 3." 

Recent events and rumors seem to make observers speculate that Valve might include a mini-appearance, a teaser of sorts, for the next "Half-Life" at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show.