{
  "id": 16206687,
  "title": "Everybody panic: A Valve developer said \"HLX\" in public",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/everybody-panic-a-valve-developer-said-hlx-in-public",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-23T16:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica",
    "slug": "ars-technica",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/10/everybody-panic-a-valve-developer-said-hlx-in-public/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gamers eagerly await a new Half-Life installment, following years of anticipation for a true sequel to Half-Life 2. Rumors swirled last year about a possible Half-Life 3, but Valve remained tight-lipped on any official announcements. This changed this week during a panel at GameSoundCon, a conference focused on game audio, technology, and business. Valve composer Mike Morasky mentioned \"HLX\" during the panel, discussing the company's use of high dynamic range (HDR) audio. Morasky explained that HLX is one of the three components that contribute to HLX, alongside other projects like Deadlock. This is the first time a Valve employee has publicly referenced the codename, which has been present in the company's engine code since at least 2024.",
  "summary": "Sound designer lets Half Life-related codename slip at a conference.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}