Half-Life: Alyx is "not the end" of the series, Valve says

Last year, Valve said that Half-Life: Alyx could kick-start a new wave of Half-Life games. In a new interview with Game Informer, Valve developer Robin Walker confirmed that the studio doesn't view Alyx as the end of the series, but rather the studio's return to it.

"Half-Life means a lot to us, and it's been incredibly rewarding to refamiliarize ourselves with its characters, setting, and mechanics," Walker said. "There are Half-Life: Alyx team members who have been at Valve since Half-Life 2, and quite a few who go back to the original Half-Life. There are also people on the team for whom Half-Life: Alyx is their first time working on this series at all – and many of them certainly hope it's not the last. We absolutely see Half-Life: Alyx as our return to this world, not the end of it."

There's no telling what sort of Half-Life games - or other media - Valve will make in the years to come. It could be another VR adventure or it could be a full-fat Half-Life 3. The main point is that there is, or will be, more Half-Life in the works. The question then becomes: will we ever play as Gordon Freeman again? Again, there's no telling, but Walker reckons Alyx will at least provide some closure to Half-Life 2: Episode 2.

"It's not a bad idea for players to have refreshed themselves on the events of Episode 2 before starting Half-Life: Alyx," he said.

Valve just released three short videos of Alyx gameplay, offering 10 full minutes of mind-blowing physics interactions and remarkably sharp VR shooting.