During a recent podcast appearance on Kiwi Talkz, Portal writer Erik Wolpaw called on fans to help make the long-awaited Portal 3 game a possibility.
While making a recent podcast appearance, Portal writer Erik Wolpaw called for fans to help make Portal 3 a possiblity. As of now, it does not seem as though Portal 3 will ever release in any capacity. The original game launched in The Orange Box bundle in October 2007, becoming such a success among critics and fans that Valve felt compelled to make a full-blown sequel. That follow-up entry, the much-beloved Portal 2, hit store shelves well over a decade ago in April 2011 and quickly secured itself a place on the best games of all-time list.
In the many years since then, Valve hasn't so much as hinted at a third mainline entry. Fans have, thus, taken it upon themselves to keep the chaos of Aperture Science alive via mods, remakes, and community-made expansions. One such creation launched in the form of the 2021's Portal Reloaded mod, which allows players to time travel between two separate timelines, solve up to 25 new puzzles, and experiment with a third portal type. The jury's out on whether or not Valve itself will ever similarly explore an expansive new content release for the franchise.
Portal and Portal 2 scribe Erik Wolpaw recently appeared on the Kiwi Talkz podcast (via Comicbook.com) and discussed the series' past and future. Early in the discussion, Wolpaw mentioned the difficulty of getting new projects off the ground at Valve, which stems from every employee's involvement in the company's various moving parts. One title, such as the long-awaited Portal 3, would require 75 people or so to be pulled from their day-to-day duties to spend years working on something new. Still, Wolpaw remains as eager as ever to see a third mainline Portal project come to fruition and called on fans to advocate for it. "Send mail to Gabe [Newell, Valve President], tell him you want some Portal 3," Wolpaw joked. "It won't do anything but maybe it'll make you feel better." The full Kiwi Talkz interview features below, with Wolpaw's call for fan support occurring at the 1:02:09 timestamp.
As Wolpaw notes, Portal fans reaching out to Valve may not mean much in the grand scheme of things. But it could serve as a reminder that many still long for a Portal 3. At the very least, it's clear Valve hasn't totally abandoned the Portal IP. For example, the company returned to the Portal universe earlier this year for Steam Deck's Aperture Desk Job demo.
The classic titles will receive a new lease on life later this year, too, thanks to the launch of Portal Companion Collection on Nintendo Switch. This bundle will pack in Portal and its 2011 sequel, marking the franchise's first official release on Nintendo-branded hardware - barring Bridge Constructor Portal. Perhaps this project's potential success will get the ball rolling on a third installment.
Source: Kiwi Talkz/YouTube (via Comicbook.com)
