According to the game credits in Valve’s newest card game Artifact, a legendary writer responsible for the iconic Portal 2 and Half-Life 2 Episodes has quietly returned to its former employer. Erik Wolpaw left Valve in 2017, after more than 10 years at the company and his hushed rejoining of Valve lead to speculations what the Seattle-based gaming giant could be up to.
Erik Wolpaw joined Valve way back in 2004 and was an important figure at the game studio, who has worked on Valve classics like Portal 2 and the Half-Life 2 Episodes. His departure from Valve in 2017 was only one big loss of personnel among a sea of talented creators that parted ways with the studio that crafted classic gaming titles like the Half-Life and Portal series.
The departures of fellow long-time Valve co-workers Mark Laidlaw, Chet Faliszek and Jay Pinkerton was widely accepted among the gaming community as the final nail on the coffin for the “old” Valve which makes engaging single-player games. Indeed, with the monumental success Valve has struck by creating Steam and several highly-profitable multiplayer games like DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Team Fortress 2, Valve simply didn’t look interested to continue the type of games which made them so beloved in the first place.
Recent developments are giving old school Valve fans unexpected hope that things are changing over at Valve however. Last summer, we were surprised to see another Ex-Valve writer return to the company with Jay Pinkerton. With today’s news that Erik Wolpaw is back again as well, the rumor mills are turning fast, mostly because of hope as there is no info that Valve is working on a new Portal game or – dare I say it – a third Half-Life.
With the major focus of Valve being on their recently-launched card game Artifact there’s also the possibility that Wolpaw and Pinkerton are fully dedicated on fleshing out the world behind it. Time will tell but you shouldn’t hold your breath on hearing anything about a new Half-Life or Portal anytime soon.
