Summary
Half-Life: Blue Shift, a 2001 expansion to the originalHalf-Life, has reached a new peak player count on Steam, 23 years after its original launch.Half-Lifereceived two expansions after its release back in 1998, withBlue Shiftfollowing on from 1999’sOpposingForce.
Developed by Gearbox Software,Half-Life: Blue Shiftwas an exciting expansion to the base game. It tells the same story as the originalHalf-Life, but instead focuses on Black Mesa security guard, Barney Calhoun, who would later be featured as a main character inHalf-Life 2. Some would even describe him as one of theiconic Valve characters, despite not having as much screen time as others. Seeing the same story through a different set of eyes was a fascinating approach, and while it received mixed reviews upon its release in 2001, it’s easy to look fondly upon its new ideas over two decades later.
Thanks to a fan-led event titled#ShiftingTheBar by Lambda Generation,Half-Life: Blue Shifthas reached a new all-time high player count on Steam, with 3,145 jumping on to try it 23 years after its launch. Over the last month, this expansion to one of thebest FPS games evermade has hovered between 60 and 100 players, making this quite a substantial jump for the game.
Half-Life: Blue Shift Hits New Peak Player Count After 23 Years
Looking at the history ofHalf-Life: Blue Shift, the game previously saw boosts in January 2020 and November 2023, where it saw peaks of 420 and 319 respectively. The #ShiftingTheBar event has demolished those numbers completely, temporarily breathing new life into thisclassic Valve game. While this event didn’t quite manage to reach its stretch goals of 5,000 and 10,000 players, it’s still an impressive achievement to break the record like this. The numbers have since settled, but it’ll be interesting to see if Lambda Generation does anything like this community event again in the future.
It’s almost two decades since the release ofHalf-Life 2, and the wait goes on for a third mainline entry into the series. Although it’s no secret that the project has existed in several different forms at Valve over the years, the developer has never managed to go ahead with something it’s happy with.Half-Life: Alyxis the closest thing players have to a modern game in the franchise, although its VR exclusivity means many gamers still can’t experience it. A recent leak revealed thatHalf-Life 3may once again be in development at Valve, although everything is speculation until the developer reveals anything officially.
Half-Life
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Named Game of the Year by over 50 publications, Valve’s debut title blends action and adventure with award-winning technology to create a frighteningly realistic world where players must think to survive. Also includes an exciting multiplayer mode that allows you to play against friends and enemies around the world.
