Valve Composer Says 'HLX' Out Loud, and a Coworker Notices

Valve composer Mike Morasky referenced "HLX," the codename long rumored to belong to a new Half-Life game, while answering a question at a GameSoundCon panel on Valve's audio engine. Valve hasn't commented, and HLX remains officially unannounced.

Asked about Valve's group and HDR audio systems, Morasky explained that Deadlock has its own version, then added: "HLX has its own version. So on and so forth," per GamesRadar. Sitting next to him, 17-year Valve sound designer David Feise appears to whisper "nice work" before steering the room toward talking to them after the session. GamesRadar notes the whisper is barely audible, so that part is its interpretation.

HLX has circulated for years, mostly through datamined strings in other Valve games, and community account Gabe Follower spotted the clip, Insider Gaming reports. It isn't Morasky's first near-miss either: in a 2023 interview he referred to "both the Half-Life games" he'd worked on before correcting himself, though his only official Half-Life credit is Half-Life: Alyx. Deadlock, the game he mentioned in the same breath, just set a new Steam peak this month.

The details

• Who: Mike Morasky, Valve composer (Portal, Team Fortress 2, Half-Life: Alyx)
• Where: GameSoundCon panel, "Valve's Approach to an Open and Flexible Audio Engine"
• What he said: HLX "has its own version" of the HDR audio system
• Official status: Valve hasn't announced or confirmed HLX

The series that famously can't count to three has now been name-checked at an audio conference, which is about as official as it gets.