Valve Is Working On Their First Full Game In Years

Valve’s reputation can be split into two very distinct categories. One is that they make some of the most fun and exciting games. Then there is the thought that they haven’t made a full game in years. Thus fans have always struggled with the issue of having one of the best game development companies that don’t develop any games. Now that appears to be changing as Valve is working on their first full game in years.

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Summary

• It has been leaked that Valve is working on a new game from official job listings.
• While Valve puts out a new small game occasionally, this listing struck many as different from the usual fair.
• Now it is also a debate whether this will be a new title or a sequel to an existing series.

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Now there is a lot to unpack within news like this, but we do have to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Valve, the company that has made classic titles ranging from Left 4 Dead to the Portal series, is returning to the game. It is still great news, even if this were only a squeal and not a new title.

So the leak that gave us this great news is one of the best ways to get info like this. The leak comes from official job listings, so we know it is legit, and gives us an idea of what is happening. Of course, a job listing can only tell us so much that we sometimes have to go further and read between the lines. But let us see what the actual leak was. The news came from Faizan Shaikh over on Twitter.

Unannounced Title from 'Valve Corporation' (Since 2021)
– Ambitious never before seen gameplay including Puzzles@IdleSloth84_ @bogorad222 #Xbox #halflife pic.twitter.com/sKvfvxaUx0

— Faizan Shaikh (@FaizShaikh7681) March 30, 2023

Two different job listings detailed the requirements of any who would apply. From this, we looked at when the productions started, which was in 2021. So two years in, the game seeks more people with highly particular skills that would otherwise mean the game lacked something.

In particular, the job listing gave us an idea of what the game may entail for mechanics and aesthetics. We know from the listing that we are looking at a game incorporating some puzzle mechanics. The types of puzzles weren’t mentioned, but the word challenging was used, and given this company’s reputation for puzzle games, that must mean something.

The only other thing we learned was that one of the posted jobs was about managing the hero’s look. It states both hero skins and even props with gameplay design. This is interesting because while all characters have a look or style, it almost makes it seem like you will see them. Most Valve games are FPS based, so why would you need much work done for different looks and prop interaction?

While all of this doesn’t tell us what the game is precisely, it can tell us quite a lot about it. For one thing, we know the game will have a character we can see in part. While that is not extraordinary by today’s standards, it does mean that you will have to be able to see the character. Most valve games are single-player fps games, which means you can’t see your character outside reflections.

Some exceptions to this rule include the game Left 4 Dead, Portal 2, and DOTA. Portal 2 had a separate mode for co-op play that would let players test the portal gun with two robots. DOTA is an arena strategy game similar to League of Legends or Heroes of The Storm, which means you can see your characters.

In my opinion, the last and by far and away, the most fun is the Left 4 Dead games, where four players can always see each other. I guess multiplayer may have some part in this game, as it will be less about how you see your character and how other players see your character.

We also confirm that puzzles will play a significant role in the game and its function. The thought that the company that gave us Half-Life and Portal is making a new puzzle game is exciting. We have already received to master the uses of gravity and teleportation, so it could be interesting to see what will be chosen next. If multiplayer is going to be implemented on this, then we could see more complex puzzles emerging.

I guess this does lead us back to the question that I am sure most people will be asking, is this a sequel or a whole new game? It could be either, but I think it will be a new title based on various factors. Of course, some will say it should be sequels, so let’s look at both possibilities earnestly.

The fact that many people hope this is a sequel mostly comes from two things. One is that most people love their previous franchises and want more. The second is that while Valve has not released a full game in some years, there have released smaller titles attached to these franchises.

It is not a sequel to any known franchise due to two factors. The first fact is that Valve has expressed zero interest in creating a full sequel to any of their games, most of the smaller titles being fan service rather than anything else. This doesn’t mean the new game won’t be connected.

It just won’t be a sequel. The other hint is that there is nowhere in the job listing that states anything familiar: no returning characters or references to game mechanics that you might suspect if this were a sequel.

That is all that we have on Valve are working on their first full game in years.

Also Read: Sony Patents Analysing Player Satisfaction To Modify Gameplay.