Gee, isn't Valve busy right now? Between the Steam Deck, VR stuff, and even overhauling Steam's long-neglected mobile app, (opens in new tab), you would be forgiven for thinking that the company had enough going on that it didn't feel the need to create new projects. And you would be wrong, because a new trademark that Valve has applied for (opens in new tab) On October 10, he accidentally announced the existence of something called Neon Prime.
The application, which is still being processed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, identifies Neon Prime as belonging to “Computer game software, electronic game software, video game software, computer game programs downloadable from the Internet.” My remarkable powers of deduction tell me that this means it has something to do with video games and video game software, and the internet seems to agree: There are already rumors (opens in new tab) that Neon Prime could be a new game – or even a series – from Valve.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As tempting as it is to make bold predictions about what Valve is up to, the number of things that could fall under the umbrella of “PC gaming software” is enormous. It could just be a new tool, some kind of anti-cheat, or new software for the Steam Deck. But hey, you can call it Half-Life 3 if that’s what makes you happy. I’m not going to stop you.
It’s also worth noting that trademarks are filed all the time and then not used. Even if it’s just an embryonic idea for a new game, any plans Valve has for Neon Prime could be years away or never see the light of day. It could even be that Valve thinks Neon Prime is a really cool name and wants to get it before someone else does. The possibilities for being discouraged are endless.
Still, it's fun to speculate, right? And Valve has been incredibly active lately. Heck, we got our first Half-Life game in 13 years when Half-Life: Alyx (opens in new tab) released in 2020. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that we could see a new game from Valve in its currently energized state. Perhaps a game made primarily for the Steam Deck? Hey, now that I think about it, 'Neon Prime' has the same number of characters as 'Half-Life 3'. Let the rumor mill churn.
