Valve composer Mike Morasky said "HLX" out loud during a public panel this week, apparently by accident. That codename has been tied to an unannounced Half-Life 3 for years. Valve has not announced the game, and Gamebonk's release tracker lists Half-Life 3 with no release date.
The slip at GameSoundCon
The remark came at GameSoundCon, a conference for game music and sound design held in Burbank, California, according to Polygon. Kotaku dates the panel to October 21. Morasky shared the stage with Valve sound designers David Feise and Carlye Nyte for a session on the audio systems in Valve's Source 2 engine.
Answering a question about how the engine's sound tools connect to other systems, Morasky said, "I think Deadlock has their own version of HDR. You know, HLX has its own version, so on and so forth." Deadlock is a released Valve game. HLX is not a name Valve has ever used publicly.
Feise can then be heard quietly telling him "Nice work." Polygon reports that as the panel wrapped up, Feise appeared to add "Good job. You only said 'HLX' once," and Morasky seemed to reply "I did?" A recording of the panel is on Vimeo, per Polygon. Kotaku credits longtime Valve reporter Tyler McVicker with spotting the moment, while Polygon points to a user on the Gaming Leaks and Rumours subreddit.
“You know, HLX has its own version, so on and so forth.”Mike Morasky
What fans already believed about HLX
HLX surfaced through datamining of Source 2 updates after Half-Life: Alyx shipped in 2020, and fans have been tracking it through files for more than five years, according to Kotaku. Polygon reports it is rumored to be a non-VR game continuing from Half-Life 2: Episode Two, which came out two decades ago. Valve is also rumored to have scrapped at least one earlier attempt at a third Half-Life.
This is not the first time Morasky has seemed to let something slip. Both outlets note he has previously referred to working on more than one Half-Life game, even though his only official credit in the series is Half-Life: Alyx. Polygon adds that Reddit users last year shared interview clips in which he said "HLX" before correcting himself.
In 2025, McVicker reported that HLX is playable from beginning to end. Kotaku's Zack Zwiezen suggested that a Valve reveal could come at The Game Awards in December, though nothing from Valve points to an announcement.
