Valve Developer Mistakenly Mentions Rumored Half-Life 3 Codename

During a recent developer panel dedicated to video game audio, longtime Valve composer Mike Morasky mentioned two of the company’s games while answering a question: Deadlock and “HLX.” The problem: One of those, HLX, is not the name of any officially announced Valve game, but rather is believed by fans to be the internal, non-public codename for the yet-to-be-announced Half-Life 3. Oops! On October 21, as spotted by longtime Valve reporter Tyler McVicker, during GameSoundCon, Valve sound designers David Feise and Carlye Nyte were part of a panel about how sound and music work in Source 2. Also part of that panel was Mike Morasky. And when asked a question about Source 2’s open and flexible sound system and how it connects with other parts of the engine, Morasky casually said this: “And in fact, I think Deadlock has their own version of HDR. You know, HLX has its own version, so on and so forth.” Unless you are someone who has been following the last few years of Valve datamining and leaks, you’ll have no idea what HLX is because it hasn’t been officially announced, teased, or even hinted at by the company at all.

Michael McWhertor is a New York-based journalist and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering games, industry events, technology, movies, and TV. Valve employee reignites Half-Life 3 rumors by dropping 'HLX' codename

Updated: Oct 21, 2026 8:25pm UTCEA has paused development on a mobile multiplayer Sims game in favor of moving forward with a rumored Sims 4 sequel. EA announced a wide variety of changes and projects today, including the closure of BioWare and the cancelation of Mass Effect 5. It also seemed to lean into recent rumors that DICE and Respawn are making a new Star Wars Battlefront game. One other big change is that EA is shelving a mobile-first multiplayer Sims project, formerly known as Project Rene and now known as Project Lotus. The game was once envisioned as the next big Sims title, but plans changed to more of a mobile spin-off once EA saw that people were still hanging on to The Sims 4. With that game being put on the back burner, EA is shifting its focus to a Sims title that it's calling Project Evergreen. Although EA hasn't revealed what the focus of this game will be, rumors have been swirling about this project for a some time now. The game, which was rumored to be under the codename Project X, is expected to be a sequel to The Sims 4. Now, here's where it may get a bit confusing: It's not The Sims 5. It's being viewed more like The Sims 4 2.0.

Michael McWhertor is a New York-based journalist and editor with more than 20 years of experience covering games, industry events, technology, movies, and TV. Disney is reportedly trying to make a new Star Wars Battlefront game happen

Skip to Content Subscribe FAQ My Account Manage My Subscriptions Our Offers News Local News Politics Health Local Health National True Crime Crime World Education Weather Podcasts BC Public Sector Salaries Database Archives Contact the Newsroom Sports Vancouver Canucks NHL PWHL More Hockey BC Lions CFL NFL Vancouver Whitecaps Soccer Baseball Basketball NBA Golf MMA Curling Tennis Auto Racing Arts Local Arts Music Theatre Festivals Books Celebrity Movies Television TV Listings Life Travel Local Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Food Local Food Reviews Recipes Wine Country Salut!