A Valve composer has said “HLX” out loud at a public conference. HLX is the codename fans have long linked to Half-Life 3, and it’s the first time a Valve employee has been heard using it on stage. As IGN reports, Mike Morasky let it slip during a Q&A at GameSoundCon, a conference for game audio. Valve hasn’t announced HLX, and it hasn’t said what the name refers to.
What was said, and who noticed
The panel took place on 21 October, and Valve sound designers David Feise and Carlye Nyte joined Morasky to explain how sound and music work in Source 2. Asked about managing voice counts, Morasky ran through some of the variables and then brought up Valve’s HDR audio system. As Kotaku transcribes it, he said Deadlock has its own version of HDR and added: “HLX has its own version, so on and so forth.”
Valve-focused streamer Tyler McVicker spotted the remark. In a post on X dated 22 October, he called it the first mention of HLX by a Valve employee and said he was working through the files as quickly as he could.
The room’s reaction is what turned a throwaway line into a story. Morasky stopped talking almost at once, and Feise, seated next to him, whispered “nice work” (or possibly “nice one”). PC Gamer reports that at the end of the panel Feise leaned in and said, “Good job, you only said HLX once.” The full session, titled “Valve’s Approach to an Open and Flexible Audio Engine”, is available to watch in full on Vimeo.
Why fans take HLX seriously
HLX isn’t a new name. It first surfaced in early 2024 as a data string in a Counter-Strike 2 update, closely resembling “HLVR”, Valve’s codename for Half-Life: Alyx. Dataminers have kept finding references in Valve-related files since then, and, as IGN notes, nobody has tied the name to any other Valve project. That left Half-Life 3 as the obvious reading, even though the studio never addressed it.
Morasky’s comment adds a small but concrete detail: HLX apparently has its own HDR audio setup, the same as Deadlock, so it’s a project with real engine work behind it. IGN reads the remark as a sign HLX is still in active development. Kotaku goes further and argues the game could be well along, pointing to McVicker’s 2025 report that HLX was playable from start to finish. That’s a report, not something Valve has confirmed.
It also isn’t Morasky’s first near-miss. He has previously mentioned working on more than one Half-Life game, though he’s officially credited only on Half-Life: Alyx in 2020. PC Gamer adds that he appeared to start saying “HLX” in 2025 before swerving to “Alyx”. PC Gamer also floats other explanations: he could have been referring to some piece of internal tech, or it could all be a joke at fans’ expense.
What happens next
Valve hasn’t commented on the clip. IGN notes that Half-Life: Alyx went from announcement to release quickly, so a similar short runway for a new game isn’t out of the question. Both IGN and Kotaku point to The Game Awards in December as a possible venue, though IGN calls that a longshot. Until Valve says something itself, HLX stays a codename with a lot of circumstantial evidence and no official description.
Has Valve confirmed Half-Life 3?
No. Valve hasn’t announced a new Half-Life game, and it hasn’t said what HLX is. Morasky named HLX in passing while talking about audio, and nothing in the remark ties it to Half-Life.
What is HLX?
It’s a project name that dataminers have found in Valve-related files since early 2024, and fans widely assume it’s Half-Life 3. Morasky’s comment shows the name is used inside Valve, but not what the project is.
When could we hear more?
There’s no date. IGN suggests The Game Awards in December as a longshot. We’d wait for an announcement from Valve itself before reading anything into the timing.
