Rumor: Valve is working on Half-Life rts shooter intended for Steam Deck

Valve is rumored to be working on a Half-Life co-op game that will combine elements of strategy games and shooters. The game would be developed to show ‘the capabilities of the Steam Deck’. Valve would not be actively working on Half-Life 3.

The rumor comes from Valve News Network creator Tyler McVicker, who posted a video detailing various games that Valve is said to have in development. McVicker has been posting videos about Valve’s plans more often and reported a month before the official announcement that the company was working on the VR game Half-Life: Alyx.

According to McVicker, the alleged Half-Life game is codenamed Citadel. It should be a kind of hybrid between an RTS game and a first-person shooter. McVicker describes the game as a nostalgia fest. “It’s like Left 4 Dead, Alien Swarm, an RTS and Half-Life having a baby together,” the YouTube user said. The game would further aim to represent the capabilities of the upcoming Steam Deck handheld ‘as best as possible’.

The YouTube user says he bases his information on data mining from Valve software, such as Steam and DOTA 2. McVicker indicates that he has been researching Citadel since early 2018. The game is currently still in active development, although many team members are said to be currently helping to prepare the Steam Deck. Citadel should appear in the next year and a half to two years.

According to McVicker, Valve is also working on a sequel to Half-Life: Alyx, according to YouTube user datamines. The game would currently only be in ‘the mechanical test phase’, and therefore not appear in the short term. Half-Life 3 would not be actively developed at the moment. McVicker himself indicates that these are currently still rumors and should therefore always be taken with a ‘healthy grain of salt’.