A Valve composer has mentioned “HLX” during a public panel, reigniting speculation that the mysterious codename could be linked to a new Half-Life game, possibly even the long-awaited Half-Life 3.
Mike Morasky, a composer and audio artist at Valve, mentioned HLX during a panel at GameSoundCon while discussing the company’s approach to flexible audio engines. According to PC Gamer, Morasky was answering a question about how many sounds a game can play simultaneously when he explained the role of Valve’s HDR audio system in sound optimization.
During the explanation, he casually noted that Deadlock has its own version of the system, as does HLX.
Fellow panelist David Feise immediately turned toward Morasky and whispered something that sounded like “nicely done” before quickly moving the conversation along. Morasky responded with a nervous laugh. At the end of the panel, Feise jokingly pointed out that Morasky had only said HLX once.
This is not the first time Morasky has come close to mentioning the mysterious codename. Last year, he appeared to catch himself mid-word and corrected it to “Alyx.”
What is HLX?
The HLX codename first appeared in early 2024 in the data files of a Counter-Strike 2 update. Fans connected it to HLVR, the internal name associated with Half-Life: Alyx, Valve’s virtual reality game released in 2020.
Since then, speculation about HLX has continued, but Valve has yet to announce a new Half-Life game or officially confirm that the company is developing one under this codename.
Morasky’s comment appears to be the first known instance of a Valve employee publicly saying “HLX” during a recorded panel discussion. However, the meaning behind the name remains unclear. It could refer to a new game, an internal technology, or simply be part of an inside joke among developers.
For now, fans should treat the mention as an intriguing clue rather than confirmation that Half-Life 3 is in development.
Valve has not publicly commented on Morasky’s statement.
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