Portal 3 is a game fans of the series would love to see, but will it ever happen? The original Portal was a spinoff of Half-Life series and came bundled in a package dubbed The Orange Box, which contained four other Valve games like Half-Life 2. Despite being quite short, Portal’s fantastic gameplay, unique world-building and the vocal performance of Ellen McLain as rogue A.I. GLaDOs received acclaim.
Valve followed up with 2011’s Portal 2, which greatly expanded the story and added Stephen Merchant (Logan) and J.K. Simmons to the cast. The sequel once again received rave reviews from fans and critics, but the game marked something of a turning point for Valve as a game developer. They began to move away from single-player titles to focus on digital distribution platform Steam instead, and despite fans wanting to see them return to their classic franchises, there’s been little sign of that happening in the years since.
Artifact shows the company hasn’t given up totally on game development, so here’s what we know about Portal 3 so far.
Portal 3 Has Never Been Confirmed
It appears Valve was aware they were moving away from singer-player experiences in 2011 and thus development on Portal 3 was never confirmed. Portal 2 ends on something of a happy note with GLaDOs releasing Chell. In some ways, this was a satisfying conclusion to the saga, though the universe of Portal and Half-Life is so rich it wouldn’t take much to conceive of a new story.
Sadly, it seems Valve still have little interest in returning for a new game. It’s possible they’re working on Portal 3 in secret and just waiting for the right time to unveil it, but this is likely wishful thing.
Valve Has Never Completed A Trilogy
It’s become something of a running gag, even within Valve itself, but the company is seemingly allergic to making a third part of anything. Neither Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress or Half-Life received a part three, with the latter game even failing to reach Episode 3 of its planned episodic content. In that respect, Portal 3 is in esteemed company.
Valve Have Created Portal VR Demos
Some feel that Valve might be afraid to develop Portal 3 or Left 4 Dead 3 since the weight of expectations is now so high. Others feel they might be waiting for new technology to play with, including VR. In fact, the company has developed some VR demos set in the Portal universe, such as 2016’s The Lab and Moondust in 2018.
This could be a sign of experimentation with the format, with reports suggesting Valve could be working on a VR Half-Life prequel. A return to the Half-Life franchise is more likely series since fans have been demanding one for over a decade, though Portal 3 would also be welcome.
