'Half-Life 3' release gloomier with exit of fourth Valve writer Jay Pinkerton

With the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) kicking off on June 13, gamers are eager to see what new games the companies will offer. Included is "Half-Life 3," which has become a formal fixture of sorts despite no indication from Valve that one is actually coming out.

The title is expected next week at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Most are praying that at least an official poster, banner or art work crops up. Right now, looking forward to that is like wishing upon a star. A recent development, however, may all the more disappoint "Half-Life 3" fanatics.

As most know, several writers have left Valve over the past two years. Marc Laidlaw started it in January 2016, and two have since followed (Eric Wolpaw and Chet Faliszek). The numbers have swelled to four, with Jay Pinkerton announcing via his Facebook account that he has left Valve.

Pinkerton started out writing for Cracked before moving to Valve in 2008, IGN reports. He is best remembered for writing "Portal 2" in tandem with Wolpaw.

Valve is currently busy attending to other digital games under the Steam platform, the company’s cash cow at the moment. The company has three multiplayer titles in "Dota 2," "Counter-Strike" and "Team Fortress 2," so the odd exit of Pinkerton makes the situation more intriguing.

For the record, Valve CEO Gabe Newell previously mentioned that the only way a "Half-Life 3" would come out is if some internal employees would show interest in doing the sequel. So far, nothing has come close to that. With the exodus of writers, the possibility gets bleaker.

Hence, all "Half-Life" fans can do now is to wait and hope that Valve finds the appetite to push through with another first-person shooter. Assuming it is business as usual at Valve, the first step is getting new writers to fill in the void left by the four veterans.

Even if they do get new writers in the fold, working on a "Half-Life 3" will once again take some time. "Half-Life 2" came out in 2004, meaning it has been over 12 years without a third instalment. It is not looking good, but the murmurs are not expected to die down just yet.