It’s not good news from Valve.
Portal is one of the most iconic games of recent decades and the series’ huge fanbase has been patiently waiting for a third entry for more than a decade now.
However, it looks like that game may never come according to the iconic series’ writer, Erik Wolpaw. On the My Perfect Console podcast, the writer was asked why Valve is currently not working on a new game.
Wolpaw responded by saying it’s down to the company’s “flat structure,” where everyone in the company has an equal say in projects. This means there needs to be enough people interested in developing a game before it starts up.
“In a flat structure like Valve, there is an opportunity cost to doing anything,” Wolpaw said. “Whatever is going on at Valve right now requires the dedication and participation of the people working on it – and it’s voluntary.
“And the freeform nature of Valve means that there are a lot of experiments that simply fail. So things are happening – if you were inside Valve, you would think that stuff was always going on, because it is.”
The Portal series legacy
Releasing in 2007, Portal – quite literally – changed the game and has gone on to be considered one of the best games ever along with its 2011 sequel.
The game has a rather simple premise – you play as Chell, who is looking to escape from a mysterious test chamber with a portal gun, all under the watchful supervision of the artificial intelligence GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System).
Starting with a relatively short game, the sequel then expanded on the plot and became just as loved by fans as the first. Critics have praised the witty, deadpan humour and mind-boggling mechanics which make the game so special.
However, it’s been all quiet on the Portal front since, and these latest comments won’t make anyone happy. Hopefully enough interest is built up at Valve in the near future.
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