This has been the most exciting time to be a Half-Life fan in several years. In the wake of the announcement of the Steam Machine, new Steam controller, and Steam Frame, speculation is rampant about a new Half-Life possibly being imminent. Some well-informed leakers are hinting that this is the case, so fans have been sitting on edge the past few weeks waiting for Valve to reveal something.
So far, nothing has come to fruition, but Valve still has several months to announce a new Half-Life if its release is going to be timed with the Steam Machine in early 2026. That said, there is one Steam Machine-related clue to Half-Life three being real that I haven’t seen many people point out since it was announced. If the codename of the Steam Machine is anything to go on, Half-Life 3 could, in fact, be tied to the new hardware.
The Steam Machine’s subtle Half-Life connection
Another name for Gordon Freeman
The Half-Life 3 clue I have been referencing is the fact that the Steam Machine is codenamed Fremont. Pre-announcement leaks for the new hardware confirmed this, as has more recent reporting by The Verge. While the Fremont connection might not immediately jump out to you if you aren’t that hardcore of a Half-Life fan, those who have been following the potential for a Half-Life 3 over the past 20 years will recognize what Fremont means.
It all goes back to a 2017 short story from Marc Laidlaw. He had been a writer at Valve and was the primary writer of Half-Life, Half-Life 2, and its DLCs. Laidlaw left the company in 2016, but about a year and a half later, he published a short story on his website titled “Epistle 3.”
While no characters in Epistle 3 shared names with Half-Life characters, fans quickly deduced that this was likely a potential plot for Half-Life 2: Episode 3 or Half-Life 3 that Laidlaw changed the names in and published independently of Valve. Relevant to this discussion, the name given to the character who was supposed to be the series protagonist Gordon Freeman was “Gertrude Fremont.”
Although Laidlaw no longer works at Valve and regrets publishing that short story, it’d certainly be an odd choice for Valve to choose the codename Fremont for Steam Machine without knowing its Half-Life implications. This could just potentially be an in-joke at Valve, but I’m choosing to believe that this could be a tease that new Half-Life games will be made for and supported by the Steam Machine.
A recap of the other Half-Life 3 clues Valve has been dropping
Valve certainly isn’t doing a lot to deny it
As I’ve previously alluded to, a new Half-Life game has been a long time coming for Valve. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 left things off on a cliffhanger, as did the 2020 VR-only prequel Half-Life: Alyx. It’s pretty clear that the story of Half-Life isn’t over, but the franchise hasn’t seen much in the way of forward momentum in a long time. Over the past couple of years, it has felt increasingly likely that Half-Life 3 will happen.
Gabe Newell’s comments at the end of a Half-Life 2 documentary last year suggested that there are “opportunities” in the video game industry that Valve could capitalize on with Half-Life. A console-like PC, such as the Steam Machine, seems like it could be one such innovative opportunity. People have also seen reference to a project called “HLX” in the files of other Steam games like Deadlock, and that seems like it could be a Half-Life-related abbreviation.
More recently, video game industry insiders like Mike Straw and Shpeshal_Nick have had sources tell them that Half-Life software for Steam Machine would be revealed shortly after the hardware’s announcement. Valve leaker Tyler McVicker has also claimed that the “HLX” project is nearing the end of development and could be unveiled soon.
While Half-Life 3 rumors have been around for almost two decades at this point, they’ve been more prevalent and believable in 2025 than ever before. That makes Valve codenaming the Steam Machine Fremont all the more resonant in regards to being a potential Half-Life 3 tease.
It’s fun to speculate about Half-Life 3
But hopefully, Valve does announce something soon
It’s possible the Fremont connection is a coincidence, and Valve just likes that name for some reason. But where there’s smoke, there’s often fire, and there’s a whole lot of Half-Life scented smoke surrounding the reveal of the Steam Machine. It makes perfect sense for Valve to release new games alongside its new hardware to show it all off, and Half-Life 3 would be a whole lot more compelling than just Deadlock.
The Steam Machine being codenamed Fremont just feels like too obvious of a tease to ignore, but it’s something I haven’t seen brought up as Half-Life rumors have heated up recently. Hopefully, this all pays off with a game announcement soon. If it doesn’t, we’re likely going to be waiting several more years in the hopes that Half-Life 3 eventually happens.
