In an interview with Develop, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell remarked on the developer's future direction, saying, "We went through the episodes phase, and now we’re going towards shorter and even shorter cycles."

Team Fortress 2, which receives continuous updates with new features and content to expand upon the core game, was cited as the new model for Valve's focus. Newell described Left 4 Dead as "starting to approach the Team Fortress 2 cycle," and raised the possibility that Portal 2 may follow suit if it appears to be want fans want.

While the commitment to providing new content for favorite games at a faster rate may please fans, it doesn't answer the all-important question: where is Half-Life 2: Episode 3?