Despite a major influence especially on the PC games market, Valve is not known to be the most productive in this area.
Erik Wolpaw, screenwriter among others of the excellent series of games Portal (and more recently co-author of Psychonauts 2 at Double Fine) who has long worked behind the scenes of Black Mesa and Aperture Science, brings us some answers in this direction.
Legends take a long time to write
If we can remember one thing from Valve, it’s that it takes its time in everything it does. And also that almost everything she touches turns to raw gold. It has established itself as a benchmark in the PC gaming market with Steam, but also with legendary franchises Half Life, Portalor counter strikewhich was originally a mod of Half Life and of Left 4 Dead.
The company has more recently hit the headlines with its famous Steam Deck, which has, so to speak, revived steam on the market for portable console/PC hybrids. It has also embarked on VR, with the masterful Half Life: Alyx and the interesting, but very expensive Valve Index.
But it’s been three years now Half Life: Alyx rocked the VR world, and the latest title announced by Valve, counter strike 2expected this summer, is more like the major update of Global Offensive than a real game. Interviewed by Simon Palkin in his latest podcast, Erik Wolpaw, one of the brilliant minds behind the company’s famous games, shed some light on this.
Testimonial from an Aperture Science employee
He joined Valve in 2006 and lent his pen to many masterpieces from the laboratories of Black Mesa and Aperture Science. ” Valve is a flat structure and ultimately has few employees, given its influence “, he says.
As a result, Gabe Newell’s company prefers to focus on profitable projects like obviously Steam, but also Global Offensive (and soon counter strike 2) Or DOTA 2. Erik Walpow also adds on this point: “ Running the platform and these games is labor intensive. It’s not so much ideas and experiences (often failed) that are lacking at Valve, but human resources. It is therefore necessary to make choices according to the time and the people available. »
Repeatedly questioned as to the advisability of working on a for the moment chimerical Portal 3, the man had already expressed his wish that such a project see the light of day. Unfortunately, as for a certain Half Life 3, it is obviously not close to arriving at Valve, and at the point where we are, it may even simply never happen. But does hope give life?
Source : My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin on Apple Podcasts
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