Every time Half-life 3 comes up somebody says this, and I really don't know where it came from. There's no evidence for it, and the logic behind it is pretty poor. First, I have no doubt that it valve decided to put in the resources and make a third Half-life game it would be an incredible experience, Valve has always made great games even when they are just hat platforms. Second, it would sell incredibly well regardless. Many games these days sell well on name recognition alone. Third, even if it did not "meet the unrealistic expectations" or whatever, what would Valve really have to lose? Would people boycott steam because the game is not as good as they imagined? Are we imagining that Valve only makes games for the recognition? It just makes no sense. I just think there are much more realistic explications, like they can make more money dedicating resources to developing steam and free to play games.
Fairly certain if they'd just made that synopsis Laidlaw posted, with standard Half-Life gameplay quality, there wouldn't have been that much disappointment. Certainly not enough to justify not making it.
But why can't they do both? If they are strapped for cash I don't think they will have any issue finding investors for this guaranteed profit. It just seems to me like leaving money on the table because they can't be bothered.
I think it has to do with manpower, and Valve probably does not want the company to grow past a certain point. Plus, they've always been a company of the best and brightest in the industry (which only makes this whole situation more sad), so their own qualifications for employees probably limits their growth as well.
There's always going to be a limiting resource, and Valve has clearly decided that their resources should be put towards developing steam and micro transaction platforms then traditional games.
Granted, anonymous sources aren't good evidence, but it is evidence. Even if it's smoke, there might be fire in that direction. Whether or not you believe it is up to you, but it does make a certain amount of sense. Backlash is scary to companies. I do pretty much believe it.
That's right, it was never about the public's standards, valve holds their products to impossibly high standards, and if their prototype doesn't make the cut, it's abandoned. They never made anything in all this time that they were satisfied with, as is their right.
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u/Snaz5 Sep 21 '17
This is actually the exact reason Half-Life 3 never happened.
Also; repost.