Fan is making a full-length Half-Life movie using AI

The creator behind the idea for Half-Life movie shared a clip of Gordon Freeman in his HEV suit fleeing from a giant walking barnacle.

The image quality was high enough to split viewers into two camps. Some praised the detail and atmosphere, while others zeroed in on the cardinal sin – Gordon Freeman speaks in the clip.

For series fans, that's borderline sacrilege: the scientist's iconic status is built largely on his silence, which is what makes the immersion work in the first place.

Some viewers offered a constructive alternative – make the protagonist mute in the style of Hardcore Henry, where all the action is shown from a first-person perspective without a single line from the main character.

The legality of the project also remains an open question. Valve and Gabe Newell tend to be fairly tolerant of fan creations, though the industry has seen forced shutdowns of similar projects before. Some fans are openly calling on Valve to pull the plug, while others have pointed out that an official Half-Life film was announced back in 2013 by J.J. Abrams – and has been in limbo ever since.

Meanwhile, Half-Life 3 rumors continue to go nowhere. Many believe Valve will release a new game this year, while others think it's just a way to generate attention for so-called "insiders".