Valve composer mentions rumored Half-Life 3 codename HLX

Valve composer Mike Morasky mentioned the rumored codename “HLX” during an Oct. 21 GameSoundCon panel about sound and music in the Source 2 engine.

Morasky referred to HLX while answering a question about high-dynamic-range audio. Discussing how Valve games use the technology, he said: “And in fact, I think Deadlock has their own version of HDR. You know, HLX has its own version, so on and so forth.”

A recording of the panel places the comment at about the 57:50 mark. Morasky is officially credited on Half-Life: Alyx, which was released in 2020. He has previously been reported to have referred to work involving more than one Half-Life project.

Sound designer David Feise was seated beside Morasky and responded with “nice work” immediately after the comment. At the end of the presentation, while the microphone was still recording, Feise told Morasky: “Good job, you only said HLX once.” Morasky replied: “I did?”

HLX has appeared in leaked source code and references in developer résumés. Fans have linked the codename to a possible new Half-Life game, though Valve has not announced Half-Life 3 or confirmed that HLX is the project’s official internal name.

Reports published in 2025 indicated that the project could be played from beginning to end. Valve has not announced a release date or confirmed plans to reveal the game at The Game Awards, which is scheduled for December.