Valve is well-engrained in PC culture at this point, brought about by it revolutionizing the PC scene with Half-Life. Steam was brought about shortly thereafter in mid-2003, five years after the initial Half-Life, as a means of aggregating and distributing titles on the PC platform. This weight on the shoulders of Valve has brought about more than a few jokes at the expense of the company.
It's a well-earned role within the industry, accentuated by features that keep PC gaming and the developers as the headlining act. This decision to bring other companies and efforts to light instead of strictly Valve has acted as both a means of continuing Steam's popularity and frustrating consumers that initially attached to the platform thanks to Valve's innovation within titles. Now, many developers within Valve's office in Bellevue, Washington are working on Steam platform features, instead of developing new titles. This leads to the modern age of Valve game development to a seeming standstill, with both Half-Life and Left 4 Dead franchises stuck without a third act.
A YouTube group called The Chalkeaters has set its sights on Valve's apparent fear of the number three in a new video that prominently features both GLaDOS and a poorly imitated Gabe Newell. Titled Count to Three, The Chakleaters offer a bit of context as to why Valve has become the perennial PC gaming company while poking a bit of fun at the same studio's expense. Ellen McLain, a self-professed fan of The Chalkeaters, reprises her performance as the hilariously deadly robot GLaDOS to an electric-swing tune.
This is well-known, Valve's apparent fear of the number three, in the modern era. It is one often mocked and prodded by fans of the franchise while Gabe Newell states that there's simply no way to release a title that could withstand the burden of expectation for a Half-Life 3. The franchise has brought about a revolution to FPS titles in both iterations (being Half-Life and Half-Life 2), and that very weight hangs over the head of Half-Life 3 regardless of Valve's promise to continue to flesh out the universe. Yet in a modern era where studios seem destined to reprise titles with glossier coats of varnish, perhaps there is something to be said for Valve's cautious approach with beloved franchises.
Ubisoft has taken a couple of jokes to the chin by asking players to play a Where's Waldo-esque game in a new book called "Where's the Assassin" which fans quickly retorted they've been frantically searching for assassins since Assassin's Creed Origins. With remakes and remasters lining digital shelves ad infinitum, perhaps gamers should be less concerned with counting, and more interested in the evolution of gameplay.