<s>
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Episode	I-Application
Three	I-Application
is	O
a	O
canceled	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Valve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
planned	O
as	O
the	O
last	O
in	O
a	O
trilogy	O
of	O
episodic	O
games	O
continuing	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
cliffhanger	B-Application
ending	O
of	O
Episode	B-Application
Two	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
widely	O
anticipated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marc	O
Laidlaw	O
,	O
the	O
writer	O
for	O
the	O
Half-Life	B-Application
series	O
,	O
said	O
he	O
intended	O
Episode	O
Three	O
to	O
end	O
the	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
story	O
arc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
released	O
little	O
information	O
on	O
Episode	O
Three	O
over	O
the	O
following	O
years	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
2011	O
Wired	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
vaporware	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
delayed	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
Half-Life	B-Application
until	O
their	O
new	O
game	O
engine	O
,	O
Source	B-Operating_System
2	I-Operating_System
,	O
was	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
canceling	O
several	O
further	O
Half-Life	B-Application
games	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
game	O
,	O
Half-Life	B-Application
:	I-Application
Alyx	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Episode	O
Three	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
last	O
in	O
a	O
trilogy	O
of	O
episodic	O
games	O
that	O
would	O
continue	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Episode	B-Application
One	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
2006	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
Episode	B-Application
Two	I-Application
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
's	O
president	O
,	O
Gabe	O
Newell	O
,	O
said	O
he	O
considered	O
the	O
trilogy	O
the	O
equivalent	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Newell	O
,	O
whereas	O
the	O
original	O
Half-Life	B-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
saw	O
the	O
G-Man	O
transform	O
the	O
protagonist	O
,	O
Gordon	O
Freeman	O
,	O
into	O
his	O
tool	O
,	O
and	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
saw	O
Freeman	O
being	O
used	O
by	O
G-Man	O
,	O
the	O
episodes	O
would	O
see	O
G-Man	O
lose	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marc	O
Laidlaw	O
,	O
the	O
writer	O
for	O
the	O
Half-Life	B-Application
series	O
,	O
later	O
said	O
he	O
had	O
intended	O
Episode	O
Three	O
to	O
end	O
the	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
story	O
arc	O
,	O
at	O
which	O
point	O
he	O
would	O
"	O
step	O
away	O
from	O
it	O
and	O
leave	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
So	O
one	O
cliffhanger	B-Application
after	O
another	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
released	O
little	O
information	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
years	O
;	O
though	O
Valve	O
still	O
discussed	O
Half-Life	B-Application
,	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
clarity	O
on	O
whether	O
further	O
games	O
were	O
coming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2010	O
,	O
Newell	O
spoke	O
of	O
"	O
broadening	O
the	O
emotional	O
palette	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
the	O
next	O
Half-Life	B-Application
game	O
may	O
return	O
to	O
"	O
genuinely	O
scaring	O
the	O
player	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
year	O
,	O
Wired	O
described	O
Episode	O
Three	O
as	O
vaporware	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
said	O
later	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
tired	O
of	O
the	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
format	O
and	O
had	O
become	O
"	O
less	O
interested	O
in	O
trying	O
to	O
solve	O
the	O
story	O
problems	O
inherent	O
in	O
a	O
Half-Life	B-Application
style	O
of	O
narrative	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Walker	O
said	O
Valve	O
used	O
Half-Life	B-Application
games	O
to	O
"	O
solve	O
some	O
interesting	O
collision	O
of	O
technology	O
and	O
art	O
that	O
had	O
reared	O
itself	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Valve	O
had	O
started	O
developing	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
engine	O
,	O
Source	B-Operating_System
2	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
developing	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
the	O
original	O
Source	B-Application
engine	I-Application
simultaneously	O
had	O
created	O
problems	O
,	O
Valve	O
delayed	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
Half-Life	B-Application
until	O
Source	B-Operating_System
2	I-Operating_System
was	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
after	O
leaving	O
Valve	O
,	O
Laidlaw	O
posted	O
a	O
short	O
story	O
titled	O
"	O
Epistle	B-Application
3	I-Application
"	O
on	O
his	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
,	O
described	O
by	O
the	O
Verge	O
as	O
a	O
gender-swapped	O
"	O
fanfic	O
"	O
,	O
features	O
characters	O
with	O
names	O
similar	O
to	O
Half-Life	B-Application
characters	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
Gertie	O
Fremont	O
"	O
for	O
Gordon	O
Freeman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Substituting	O
the	O
characters	O
with	O
their	O
Half-Life	B-Application
counterparts	O
,	O
the	O
story	O
sees	O
Freeman	O
and	O
the	O
Lambda	O
Resistance	O
travel	O
to	O
the	O
Arctic	O
to	O
board	O
the	O
Borealis	O
,	O
a	O
ship	O
with	O
extradimensional	O
technology	O
that	O
allows	O
it	O
to	O
erratically	O
travel	O
through	O
time	O
and	O
space	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
confront	O
a	O
myriad	O
of	O
alternative	O
versions	O
of	O
themselves	O
from	O
different	O
timelines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Just	O
before	O
the	O
Borealis	O
explodes	O
,	O
Gordon	O
is	O
rescued	O
by	O
the	O
Vortigaunts	O
and	O
transported	O
into	O
the	O
far	O
future	O
,	O
with	O
most	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Resistance	I-Application
dead	O
and	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
their	O
uprising	O
left	O
uncertain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laidlaw	O
's	O
"	O
Epistle	B-Application
3	I-Application
"	O
story	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
fan	O
backlash	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
players	O
review	O
bombed	O
Valve	O
's	O
game	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
Steam	O
,	O
believing	O
that	O
Valve	O
had	O
forgone	O
the	O
Half-Life	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Project	O
Borealis	O
,	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
fanmade	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
episode	O
in	O
the	O
Source	B-Application
engine	I-Application
that	O
would	O
be	O
based	O
on	O
and	O
expand	O
on	O
the	O
short	O
story	O
,	O
was	O
announced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
decided	O
to	O
switch	O
to	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
to	O
modernize	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
updates	O
to	O
Source	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
team	O
,	O
Keep	O
Away	O
from	O
Fire	O
,	O
began	O
development	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
Episode	O
Three	O
project	O
,	O
Boreal	O
Alyph	O
,	O
which	O
did	O
not	O
follow	O
"	O
Epistle	B-Application
3	I-Application
"	O
as	O
closely	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
initially	O
set	O
in	O
Northern	O
Russia	O
before	O
following	O
Gordon	O
Freeman	O
across	O
the	O
globe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
stated	O
their	O
commitment	O
to	O
using	O
the	O
Source	B-Application
engine	I-Application
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
constant	O
fight	O
"	O
to	O
modernize	O
the	O
graphics	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
engine	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
user-friendliness	O
or	O
documentation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
canceling	O
several	O
further	O
Half-Life	B-Application
games	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
a	O
VR	O
game	O
,	O
Half-Life	B-Application
:	I-Application
Alyx	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phil	O
Iwaunik	O
of	O
PCGamesN	O
wrote	O
in	O
2021	O
that	O
the	O
cancelation	O
of	O
Episode	O
Three	O
may	O
have	O
benefited	O
the	O
legacy	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
citing	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
cultural	O
impact	O
of	O
Alyx	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
mystery	O
,	O
speculation	O
and	O
melancholy	O
"	O
of	O
an	O
unfinished	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
