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Anyone Else been following the countdown at blackmesa.com? (blackmesa.com)

submitted 1 month ago by foggy@lemmy.world to c/pcgaming@lemmy.world

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The bottom of the page there is a countdown that will expire at midnight Eastern standard Time tonight.

This company claims to be in Boston. They've received federal grants. I've done a small amount of digging, but it would be entirely within valves resources to set up such a company. They have a LinkedIn, but it doesn't really seem like anyone really works there? It seems like a viral marketing campaign.

There was a Reddit thread. A while back. Some people noticed classes in the HTML that referenced other half-lifey things. But, some people in that thread shut it down as nothing out of the ordinary.

Then, there have been recent leaks with regard to a new game being developed. Someone found a resume suggesting that a person had done voice-over work for an unreleased project with Valve in 2023.

There was also a leak of some files with .hlx file types, and I guess prior to the half-life alyx release some .hla files leaked.

In the .hlx file leak, I guess there was found references to things like the EV suit.

Here's a YouTube video that touches on all of this.

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[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm not sure if you're serious. Technically yes, Valve could set up a real biotech company, staff it, apply for government grants, receive money, and do actual biotech work... But it doesn't make sense to do for a video game marketing stunt.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Why would it not make sense for them to do it? It is the most anticipated videogames of all time. The videogame community has basically taunted Valve saying they're afraid to make the games and valve has been firm that fear does not guide them. So obviously they will go as big as anyone's ever gone.

It in fact makes less sense that a biotech firm would call themselves black Mesa, and start up a faux ARG for the lulz.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What does spinning off a biotech company achieve for marketing HL3? Especially when Black Mesa has already been released and isn't even Valve's game?

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

We are talking about HL3 as a result.

That is how marketing works.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's a big reach. It's spending a lot of money for not much gain, when they could spend that money either on regular advertising or on a real ARG campaign.

If it was an ARG for HL3, why would it be based on Black Mesa? That's the HL1 remake fan project that's already done.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

What money is it spending exactly? A lease for a small building and a small town in Massachusetts? Maybe 10 grand a month? A salary for, as far as LinkedIn tells us, 2:00 to 10 individuals, we'll call it a million dollars.

Are you telling me that Valve isn't willing to invest 2 million dollars in advertising the most anticipated video game of all time?

What do you think valves marketing budget is?

Do you think there's a modulation when it comes to expenditures for half-life 3 should they arise?

When was the last time you saw an ad for a valve game outside of the steam ecosystem?

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Bedford isn't a small town. There's a bunch of other biotech facilities in that area. It looks like it'd be a relatively cheap building to lease, but not as cheap as you're thinking.

I think if they were going to spend $2m on marketing, they'd actually use it for marketing, not spinning off a biotech company.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

Oh right. All those ads you saw for all those games they put out. Yeah. No, good point, valve definitely has a tradition of spending their marketing dollar just like every other company out there. If half-life 3's coming out, we'll probably hear about it in the Sears catalog. 🙄 What was I thinking.