Half Life 2: Episode Three hits its sixth anniversary

Today marks the six-year anniversary of Half Life 2: Episode 3 being announced by Valve - but the elusive game still remains largely an unknown.

On May 24th 2006 Valve confirmed that Half Life 2: Episode One had gone gold, slapped a release date on Episode Two and announced the existence of Episode Three.

The original announcement slated Episode Three for a now rather generous-seeming 2007 launch and promised that the Half Life episodic trilogy would "conclude by Christmas of 2007."

Episode One shipped on June 1st 2006 as planned while at the time Episode Two was intended to ship before the end of 2006. The second episode would in the end be delayed by around a year, eventually launching in October 2007 as part of The Orange Box alongside Team Fortress 2 and Portal.

Valve PR head Doug Lombardi said the company might show something on the game "at the very end of the year" back in 2008, but since then all has been quiet but for a long stream of internet rumours and vague hints and reassurances from Valve.

Last month Valve boss Gabe Newell spoke about the development of "Ricochet 2" - largely believed to be him talking about either Episode Three or a full-blown Half Life 3. "In terms of Ricochet 2, we always have this problem that when we talk about things too far in advance," he said.

Don't go expecting news on the game at E3 - Lombardi told Joystiq that the company will be making "no product announcements" at this year's show earlier this month - and Valve has no press-facing booth or meeting room space there.

Half Life isn't the only series to experience this recently - Square Enix's Final Fantasy Versus XIII also passed its six year announcement anniversary earlier this month. Information on that game and its potential release also remains scant.

Which will release first? The waiting game continues.