A fan-made isometric Half-Life game called "Codename: Loop" is currently being developed, and the person behind it says they asked Valve for permission to publish it on Steam, which the company granted. As a series, the antics of Gordon Freeman have been screaming for a comeback, especially after Episode Two's cliffhanger ending. With the loss of Arkane Studios' Ravenholm spin-off, the only thing fans have had in terms of a new game is Alyx, which is VR only.
Alongside this, most have been eagerly anticipating a threequel in the main campaign. However, with Half-Life 3 now pretty much dead in the water, hopes of players seeing the end of the story have all but faded. Given this, it's not surprising that some in the community have taken matters into their own hands, such as the successful Source remake of Black Mesa, which is a fan-made rebuild of the original 1998 release. Now, a new game is coming, which takes the franchise into a different territory.
As spotted by PCGamesN, modder PinkyDev is creating their own Half-Life experience, but with a different viewpoint. The upcoming project called "Codename: Loop" will be an isometric title, with an initial goal of making it into a roguelike. According to the developer, they explicitly asked Valve for approval, and it seems as though the company is indeed allowing the modder to publish the game via Steam, which is being made available for free. It will feature a new story, which is "not written yet," and will focus on Gordon Freeman and G-Man. Currently, there is no release date for the game.
It seems the modding community is only too keen to continue showing love for this iconic 90s FPS. One user is looking to bring ray tracing support to Half-Life, which will improve the overall lighting and shadows of the game, while still retaining the elements that make the classic so beloved. Sadly, this mod has been delayed, but the same user has just released ray tracing for Quake in the meantime.
As if that wasn't enough, there's also rumors about a new Half-Life game called Citadel possibly coming out. Not much is known about this elusive project, but it's possible it will be an RTS rather than a straight-up first-person shooter. In general, it seems there is a lot to talk about when it comes to Half-Life. It's just a shame there's very little chance that a third official entry will ever see the light of day.
Half-Life was released in 1998 for PC, with ports to PS2, OS X and Linux.