When Valve killed its Ravenholm game, Arkane founder says "we did not understand" its thinking: "It all came down to the economics behind Half-Life 2 and how the DLCs were selling"

Arkane Studios has offered rare insight into Valve's cancellation of Ravenholm, a Half-Life 2 expansion the studio was developing. According to Arkane founder, the project's fate ultimately hinged on economics - specifically how Half-Life 2's DLC offerings were performing commercially. The studio struggled to comprehend Valve's decision at the time, though the passage of years brought perspective. Arkane took roughly a decade to fully move past the disappointment, eventually developing a more measured view of the industry's realities and their own role in the project's troubled development.

TL;DR

Valve cancelled Ravenholm based on DLC sales metrics for Half-Life 2, not creative disagreement, though Arkane didn't grasp this reasoning initially.
The cancellation left lasting scars; Arkane required significant time to process the setback and mature past it professionally.

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Almost 20 years later, Arkane's founder says he understands why Valve cancelled the Ravenholm game that never was: 'It all came down to the economics'

PC Gamer · Aug 27, 15:11 UTC

Almost 20 years later, Arkane's founder says he understands why Valve cancelled the Ravenholm game that never was: 'It all came down to the economics'

"We grew up and got a little bit more mature about it."

When Valve killed its Ravenholm game, Arkane founder says "we did not understand" its thinking: "It all came down to the economics behind Half-Life 2 and how the DLCs were selling"

GamesRadar+ · Aug 25, 16:48 UTC

When Valve killed its Ravenholm game, Arkane founder says "we did not understand" its thinking: "It all came down to the economics behind Half-Life 2 and how the DLCs were selling"

"It took us a decade to move on from the pain of the Ravenholm project"