Team Fortress leak found in Dota 2 update

Last year, dataminers at Valve uncovered references to a new project simply labeled “TF.” Given the initials, it's widely believed to be a new Team Fortress project – although it remains unclear whether it's a sequel or a port of Source 2 TF2.

There hasn't been much information about the game over the past few months, likely due to the timelines shifting around the upcoming Steam Machine launch. Valve specialist Tyler McVicker recently even speculated that the game “may have been delayed for a while” as development on HLX – widely believed to be Half-Life 3 – was ramping up. However, a new chain has just been found in a Dota 2 update, suggesting that it is alive and well.

“Project TF has been mentioned in relation to composite materials near CS2, which most likely means it will be used for skins,” explained leaker and dataminer Gabe Follower.

Don't worry too much about the Source 2 jargon – Gabe Follower refers to the highly sophisticated asset pipeline that serves as the framework for Counter-Strike 2's cosmetics. As seen in the post below, the appearance of 'tf' next to 'csgo' suggests that Valve is building a similar ecosystem of live services for this new Team Fortress game.

From Project TF to Half-Life 3

Otherwise, we still don't know much about Project TF or how far along the game is in development. At least it doesn't seem like it's been delayed, but it's still very likely that it will happen in the future, as Valve's lax approach to development means that games are often canceled or pushed back as teams move on to new ideas and projects. However, it's worth considering that all of Valve's latest launches have leaked in similar fashion: Alyx first appeared as 'HLVR', while Deadlock was revealed by dataminers under the codenames Neon Prime and Citadel, back when it was still being conceived as a Half-Life spin-off.

Dataminers didn't just find references to Project TF in this update. Gabe Follower also spotted another mention of 'HLX', confirming his claim from earlier this week that Half-Life 3 has not been cancelled. Several leaks last year claimed that the sequel would be announced in November, but for whatever reason those plans changed. With the trail of canceled Half-Life 3 and Episode Three games left behind by Valve, some feared that the lack of a reveal meant that HLX had suffered the same fate. However, between Gabe Follower and McVicker's reassurance and the new chain found in this Dota 2 update, things seem to be floundering behind the scenes.