"Half-Life 3" is inarguably one of the most-anticipated sequels in the industry. However, developer Valve remains mum on the subject. Rumor has it, though, that Valve will surprise fans with an announcement next year.

Gamenguide reports that making "Half-Life 3" official is expected to be a major event announcement. As such, it is expected that Valve will make the sequel official by next year's studio-sponsored event, the Steam Dev Days 2017. Supposedly, Valve itself has hinted at this in the recently-concluded 2016 event. The studio said that this year's event focused on hardware announcements, while the 2017 show will highlight software-related announcements, including one that will "surely please fans."

A 2017 announcement is definitely on schedule if Valve intends for "Half-Life 3" to come out the year after. According to iTechPost, a scheduled release for 2018 for "Half-Life 3" is a symbolic gesture on Valve's part, since it will also be the 20th year anniversary of the "Half-Life" franchise. The last release for the franchise, "Half-Life 2: Episode 2," is already at least a decade in existence. The title launched in 2007. Should the series be intended as a trilogy franchise, having the much-anticipated release as part of the 20-year celebration is warranted.

Meanwhile, aside from the "Half-Life 3" announcement, it is also said that Valve is intending for a 2017 launch of VR content for the series. Rumor has it that a "Half-Life: VR" is already in the works, using assets from the original game. Should the original "Half-Life" game will be remastered as a VR title, then it is also highly likely for Valve to take advantage of the feature for "Half-Life 3," especially if its release will soon follow that of "Half-Life: VR."

However, all of the reports remain hearsay as Valve continues to be silent on the outcome of the "Half-Life" series. Even Valve's top executive, Gabe Newell, remains non-committal on the issue.