➀ Mike Shapiro, the voice actor for G-Man, hints at his return in 2025; ➁ Valve's new project HLX is speculated to be Half-Life 3 with advanced game physics and AI; ➂ Valve is developing new ragdoll and gore systems.

➀ Valve celebrates the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2 with an update and a documentary; ➁ Gabe Newell discusses the cancellation of Half-Life 2: Episode 3; ➂ Newell emphasizes the need for innovation in Half-Life 3 beyond just continuing the story.

➀ Valve showcases gameplay from the canceled Half-Life 2: Episode 3 in a documentary celebrating the game's 20th anniversary; ➁ The gameplay reveals an Arctic setting with a new Ice Gun and Alyx as a key character; ➂ The documentary discusses the game's development and the reasons for its cancellation.

➀ Valve is developing a new ragdoll and gore system for Half-Life 3; ➁ The system allows for the disabling of individual enemy body parts; ➂ The system is expected to enhance the gameplay experience in Left 4 Dead 3.

➀ Valve is using ChatGPT to develop its new multiplayer shooter Deadlock; ➁ An engineer from Valve explains how ChatGPT was used to improve the matchmaking system of Deadlock; ➂ The use of generative AI in game development is becoming more common.

1. Valve has only 336 employees, significantly fewer than major gaming companies like EA, Epic Games, and Riot Games. 2. The company's 'Games' department has 181 employees, while the 'Hardware' team, responsible for the Steam Deck, has 41. 3. Valve's small size contrasts with its significant influence in the PC gaming industry.

1. Counter-Strike is 25 years old, first released as a mod for Half-Life in public beta form on June 19, 1999. 2. The game was officially released as a standalone on November 8, 2000, and has become the foundation for competitive first-person shooters. 3. Despite the 25th anniversary, Valve has not done anything particularly noteworthy for Counter-Strike, but Counter-Strike 2 was released in September 2023, featuring improvements with Source Engine 2.

➀ There are new clues suggesting that Half-Life 3 might be announced this year; ➁ 'HLX', a potential codename for an unannounced Half-Life-related project, is being beta tested; ➂ The tweet by the voice actor of G-Man hints at a new Half-Life announcement.

➀ A well-known Half-Life voice actor hints at the return of the franchise in 2025; ➁ The actor, Mike Shapiro, posted a video celebrating the upcoming year; ➂ The video suggests 'unexpected surprises' and hints at the actor's return in the new year.

➀ Valve is reportedly testing a new SteamOS-based device called Fremont; ➁ The device may be the successor to the Steam Box, with hints of AMD's Ryzen processors and RDNA 3 graphics; ➂ The device's specifications and potential release date remain unclear.

➀ Valve is reportedly preparing a new Steam Controller, codenamed 'Ibex', and a VR controller named 'Roy'.; ➁ The designs for 'Ibex' suggest it will be an evolution of the original Steam Controller with Steam Deck-inspired features.; ➂ The potential features of the 'Ibex' controller include dual trackpads, touch sensitivity, and gyro controls, among others.

➀ Valve has introduced new features to its Steam platform in 2024, improving the user experience with features like family sharing and increased Steam Deck integration. ➁ The latest update focuses on a more transparent approach to DLC and Season Passes, requiring developers to commit to release timing for each content release. ➂ If a DLC or Season Pass is cancelled, Valve will refund players for the missing content, ensuring a guarantee for customers.

➀ Valve is releasing the Steam Deck OLED: Limited Edition White; ➁ The white model has limited quantities and is available in various regions; ➂ The hardware specifications are the same as the 1TB Steam Deck OLED, with a 7.4-inch OLED display, 6nm AMD APU, and 16GB LPDDR5-6400 RAM.

➀ Steam has set a new record with over 14,000 games released this year; ➁ The number of games released has steadily increased since 2010, with a significant surge in 2014; ➂ The quality of the games released is not necessarily correlated with the number of releases, but the trend is still interesting.

❶ Valve has updated SteamOS to fully support the DeckHD screen replacement, which offers a resolution upgrade to 1200p. ❷ The update includes patches for display timings and recognition, enhancing the gaming experience on the Steam Deck. ❸ This move by Valve is expected to encourage future support for other display replacements on the Steam Deck and its successors.