Portal Author Reveals the Unhappy Purpose Why We Have not Gotten Portal 3

Valve is behind a few of the most beloved video video games of all time, however the Portal sequence is arguably the corporate’s magnum opus. The Portal video games have all of it: intelligent puzzles, witty writing, and sufficient miserable lore to fill a Darkish Souls world bible. Nevertheless, regardless of the Portal franchise’s reputation, we’ve solely obtained two Portal video games (and a spin-off meant to promote the Steam Deck). This unlucky actuality disenchanted many players and helped spawn the joke that Valve is allergic to the quantity 3. Nevertheless, we now appear to know a few of the extra sensible the reason why Valve by no means labored on Portal 3.

Not too way back, Simon Parkin, host of the My Excellent Console podcast, interviewed the author of Portal 1 and 2, Erik Wolpaw. Parkin started the interview with the query on everybody’s thoughts: The place is Portal 3? Many retailers, together with PCGamer, have famous that Wolpaw has tried to get that undertaking off the bottom a number of occasions and even has “place to begin.” Parkin even famous that Wolpaw has remodeled many public appearances, together with interviews, into calls to motion (albeit together with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek). But all of those makes an attempt have failed, which brings us again to the query of “Why?” In accordance with Wolpaw, all of it comes all the way down to how Valve’s dimension, or slightly lack thereof, impacts the event course of.

Wolpaw defined that Valve has a “flat construction,” and that all the pieces completed on the firm has an “alternative value.” In his personal phrases, “No matter is happening at Valve proper now requires the dedication and participation of the individuals engaged on it, and it’s voluntary.” 

Wolpaw additionally acknowledged that “To essentially exit and advocate for [Portal 3] could possibly be harmful simply within the sense that you just don’t wish to trigger inside strife.” Why would proposing a sequel to certainly one of Valve’s hottest titles trigger strife? As a result of Valve is already stretched skinny as is.