Aw. If you're a Valve fanatic who's been in and around the internet anytime in the past few years, you've probably picked up on the supposed Half-Life 3 viral marketing. A few suggestive domains had been registered only to display the lambda logo or a cleverly masked image of the G-man. And of course there have been miles and miles of message board chatter regarding the next episode in the series; everything from people who claim to know Gabe personally to people who presume to have figured out secret hints about episode 3 hidden deep within Portal 2. Well, curious fans can put away their sleuthing kits; Valve has issued a statement saying that they have not yet released any kind of promotion for another Half-Life game.

The statement comes in the form of a message board post by Chet Faliszek, one of the writers on Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead. He sounds a little disappointed that fans are taking the fake promo so seriously, even going so far as to outright say that they're all being trolled something fierce. None of the supposed teasers have come from anywhere near Valve, and Gabe Newman certainly hasn't authorized any leaks from the near future. 

A statement like this suggests that Valve isn't actually anywhere near completing the third episode in the Half-Life 2 storyline. If they were, even the fake viral marketing would be good for them (hey, free press). As it stands, it seems like episode three is on the back burner, much to the chagrin of devotees everywhere, I'm sure.