Valve has hit the proverbial gold mine more than once, as you are undoubtedly probably already aware.  Within the video game industry they’ve landed more than a few massive registered hits that have allowed them to silently rest and invest their efforts in other directions.   This seems to be the case with their line of “Steam Machine” consoles, which are set to stream game data from the internet through the mega popular PC gaming site Steam.  Naturally, being able to instantly access the amazing library found there on a streaming box that you can hook up rather simply to your HD tv at home is certainly a great thing, especially if you’re looking for alternatives to the PS4 and Xbox One.  However, recent rumors abound that there’s much more going on and at stake here than meets the eye…

According to special sources, the release dates for both the much lauded Source Engine 2 and Left 4 Dead 3 are said to coincide with one another (learn more by clicking here).  Naturally, when we’ve seen this sort of thing happen in the past with other console makers it typically means that certain games are being positioned to help “market the brand”.

At the same time, we have Steam Machine fever taking a more prominent role center stage too, with legions of prospective buyers making it quite obvious that they’re ready for a fancy new streaming console just as soon as it arrives.  All in all, it would seem that there are a number of factors lining up to produce a certain situation – the release of the new source engine, an announcement for Half Life 3, maybe Left 4 Dead 3, and of course, the big rollout of this emergent console.  It’s only natural to assume that they might somehow be linked together.  After all, as previously indicated above, it is not uncommon to find organizations remaining rather tight-lipped about synchronous releases, especially when they’re each as landmark as what we’ve been discussing.

Needless to say, if Valve did decide to stick games like Half Life 3 or Left 4 Dead 3 (even better, the two of them together) in a steam machine bundle it might actually seriously give the PS4 a run for its money in terms of attention and sales.  Even though it seems like fervor for another installment of HL has died down the truth is that fans remain as ardent as ever, and one could pretty much say the same thing about L4D as well.  According to a recently released piece by Gamestop, Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le said that “Left 4 Dead 3 is in development and it is coming along well.”  Simply put, it appears that all the factors are lining up to produce a situation that fans have been longing for.

As far as Half Life 3 is concerned, whether or not it’s on the way is anyone’s guess.  For every rumor out there or so-called confirmed bit of information we have there are 5 or more additional tidbits which seem to throw everything off the rails.  One particularly tantalizing bit though comes from an “ex-Valve employee” who goes on to say that: “I think it’s kind of public knowledge, that people know that it is being worked on. And so if I were to say that yeah, I’ve seen some images, like some concept art of it, that wouldn’t be big news to be honest.”