Of the numerous successful franchises that Valve has produced over the last several decades,Portalis one that many in the gaming community hold in extremely high regard. With inventive puzzle-solving mechanics, an intense, foreboding atmosphere, and various memorable characters, thePortalseries remains special for a number of players. Though, the lack of a new franchise installment has recently caused one of the original writers to speak up.
As a studio, Valve has had a long, storied history since its inception back in 1996. While the company is primarily focusing its attention on Steam, as well as the ongoing development of theSteam Deck, there have been several rumors in terms of releasing new installments of certain franchises. However, a recent podcast interview, in a sense, proved that as far asPortalis concerned, a new, mainline installment doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.
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In the newest episode of Kiwi Talkz, a gaming based podcast, Erik Wolpaw, one of the co-writers of the originalPortalgames, at the end of the interview, urged Valve to green lightPortal 3. Citing the success ofAperture Desk Job, Wolpaw asked fans of the series to reach out to Gabe Newell, the CEO of Valve, to let him know how much they want a third game in thePortalseries.
Perhaps the most poignant moment in the interview was when Wolpaw mentioned how he wasn’t getting any younger and that pretty soon, Wolpaw and several otherPortalalumni will be “too old to work onPortal 3.” Given that the last mainline installment in the series,Portal 2, was released back in 2011, that sentiment is fairly understandable.
It’s certainly possible that Valve is actively working on all the games that fans have been asking for over the last several years and the studio has just been extremely tight-lipped over it. Considering the release ofHalf-Life: Alyxoccurred over thirteen years after the launch ofHalf-Life 2: Episode 2, there does appear to be a possibility thatPortalmight be receiving the same treatment.
Either way, if this interview is any indication, then it feels likePortal 3is no closer to releasing thanHalf-Life 3is. It will be interesting to see if what Wolpaw had to say will impact the potential development of a newPortalgame. Although, given how secretive Valve has been over the years, fans probably won’t know of the existence ofPortal 3,until Valve is ready to share it.
