Half-Life 2 – the rumours will never die (pic: Valve)

Valve will be attending Gamescom this year, so of course there are rumours of it announcing Half-Life 3 or its mystery Neon Prime game.

Ever since Valve returned to its Half-Life series with 2020’s Half-Life: Alyx, fans have hoped that this was a sign that Half-Life 3 will actually become a thing. Especially after Half-Life: Alyx’s cliffhanger ending and Valve’s blatant tease of more Half-Life games in the future.

Now, the Half-Life 3 rumour mill has begun churning once again, after it was discovered that Valve will be among the attendees at this year’s Gamescom in August.

On its own, that normally wouldn’t mean anything, but apparently there’s evidence of Valve having something Half-Life related to show off during the event.

Over on Reddit, user ItzDarko42 has shared screenshots from Gamescom’s companion app, which includes not just a list of exhibitors but also a list of brands that will be featured… and Half-Life is listed among them.

Given how often Half-Life 3 has been rumoured, most fans have naturally approached this with scepticism, suggesting it’s far more likely for Valve to announce the rumoured Half-Life: Alyx sequel or the mystery Neon Prime game it trademarked last year.

Others argue that Valve is probably just there for business reasons and is unlikely to actually have anything to show; something that’s evidenced by Gamescom’s own website.

Valve is publicly listed among the exhibitors, but it’s only going to be based in Hall 4 which, according to the Gamescom map, is exclusively a business area. However, that’s also where the press area is and, pre-pandemic at least, it was always very common for games to be shown in that area but not in the public space.

More: Trending

So, why would Half-Life be listed on Gamescom’s own app? There’s a very real chance it’s just a simple mistake. In fact, that’s precisely what happened in 2012, where Gamescom listed Half-Life 3 among the games that would feature at that year’s event.

Organisers later told Eurogamer, though, that its inclusion was ‘a mistake,’ along with the then unannounced Dragon Age: Inquisition (or Dragon Age 3 as it was known at the time).

Half-Life: Alyx – it certainly seems like Valve is back to making games, but is Half-Life 3 really among them? (pic: Valve)

Email [email protected], leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

MORE : Half-Life 3 cancelled in 2015 as story and gameplay details leak

MORE : Left 4 Dead 3 is probably not happening warns lead writer

MORE : No Spider-Man 2 at Gamescom 2023 as Sony skips it for third time

Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at [email protected]

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Valve will be attending Gamescom this year so of course there are rumours of it announcing Half-Life 3 or its mystery Neon Prime game.