A Valve Composer Let 'HLX' Slip During an Audio Panel
At a panel on Valve's use of open audio engines, Valve composer and audio artist Mike Morasky was discussing high dynamic range audio when he said that HLX has its own version.
According to Ars Technica, HLX is widely reported to be the internal code name for Valve's next Half-Life project; the label has appeared in Valve engine code since at least 2024.
Ars Technica says no Valve employee had referenced the codename in public until this panel, though Morasky had a close call in an interview last year. That makes the remark a mention, not a trailer.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
A code name that has sat in engine code since at least 2024 and never been said in public until now is the most Valve possible form of communication.
A code name is a label, not a shipping date. The interesting question is what Valve does with the label next.