Valve developer publicly confirms "HLX" project codename during game audio panel
A composer’s offhand reference to HDR audio implementations provides the first on-the-record employee confirmation of an active Half-Life production.
Technology news
For the first time since the release of Half-Life: Alyx in 2020, an active Valve employee has publicly confirmed the existence of internal project codename 'HLX'—the string long identified by dataminers as Valve's next major installment in the landmark sci-fi franchise.
The disclosure occurred during a technical panel at GameSoundCon in Los Angeles, where veteran Valve composer and audio artist Mike Morasky addressed the studio's implementation of high dynamic range (HDR) audio systems across its proprietary Source 2 engine. In explaining how audio assets are dynamically optimized, Morasky stated on video: 'I think Deadlock has their own version of HDR. HLX has its own version, so on and so forth.'
The unscripted comment prompted an immediate reaction from fellow panelist and Valve sound designer David Feise, who was captured on microphone sarcastically whispering 'nice work' to Morasky before jokingly commending him at the session's conclusion for only saying the codename once. While references to 'HLX' have periodically surfaced in leaked Source 2 compiler binaries and SteamVR driver files since late 2024, Valve leadership has historically maintained complete public silence.
Although industry analysts caution that an official reveal is unlikely before the end of the current calendar year, public commit counters across Valve's internal version-control repositories show an accelerated pace of engine merges in recent months. The public acknowledgment underscores that, despite Valve's concurrent focus on the multiplayer hero-shooter Deadlock, flagship single-player narrative development remains active within the studio.