>>714252842 (OP)My opinion:
Valve is afraid to release Half-Life 3 because their entire approach is very old-fashioned. They make straightforward, linear games focused on the player’s point of view, rather than using cutscenes or large background spectacles.
Halo was one of the first cinematic FPS games that told a big, epic story. Call of Duty (even though I hate it) has huge spectacle — even Call of Duty 1 and 2 felt much grander than Half-Life 2, with lots of NPCs fighting in the background. Battlefield pushed this even further with its large, interactive environments.
In comparison, Half-Life 2 feels very small and contained in the background. It’s the same with Counter-Strike 2, which has a much smaller spectacle than Call of Duty, Battlefield, or Apex Legends. Valve probably doesn’t know what to do in the modern market.