OG Half-Life publisher Sierra planned to “abandon” the game before Valve essentially blackmailed them

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Originally released Half-Life isn’t just recognized as one of the finest First-Person Shooter (FPS) games ever crafted until Xen, but also stands among the most influential games in modern gaming history. Despite its initial release being accompanied by extensive marketing, the publisher Sierra On-Line had originally intended to discontinue the game shortly after launch.

At first, Half-Life didn’t sell well and had poor early sales. Piracy was common, and it wasn’t until the release of the Game of the Year Edition that the game gained its current level of success. However, Sierra Entertainment chose not to back the game following its initial launch.

Sierra almost killed Half-Life

At the Game Developers Conference 2025, as reported by GamesRadar, Monica Harrington, a former executive at Valve, disclosed that the leadership of Sierra Entertainment intended to either release or abandon the game in question. Harrington and Gabe Newell, one of the co-founders of Valve, were informed that Sierra would cease all marketing efforts for Half-Life, diverting their focus solely towards other Sierra titles instead.

“Half-Life would quietly die,” Harrington explained. “I felt stunned.”

Harrington, in a dramatic gesture reminiscent of a pivotal scene from a Fincher film, warned Sierra that he would reveal their business blunders to the entire video game industry. If the funding for Half-Life was withdrawn, the developers and journalists would uncover all details about the company’s condition. Naturally, Sierra gave in to his demands.

When Sierra shared their intention to discontinue Half-Life, it was as if someone had given me a hard slap. They responded by making it clear that not only would they continue investing in Half-Life’s marketing, but they would also release it as a Game of the Year (GOTY) edition. I warned them that if they didn’t, we would expose Sierra’s mistakes to the game development industry, which was beginning to admire Valve.

In a critical juncture for the company, as Valve was yet to recover from creating the initial Half-Life, Harrington described this situation as a “do or die” moment. Although uncertain about Sierra’s reaction, they understood the gravity of their warning perfectly well.

After some consideration, Sierra decided to plan for a re-release of the Game of the Year (GOTY) edition. Once this new version was launched, Half-Life once again climbed high on the bestseller list, and the GOTY edition turned out to be a massive hit,” as the former Valve executive stated.

It’s no secret that Sierra On-Line is no longer around today. After numerous scandals, controversies, mergers, and acquisitions—take a look at its tumultuous history—the publisher was ultimately absorbed by Vivendi Games, which later merged with Activision. Despite being one of the most troubled companies in the gaming industry, Sierra On-Line was also responsible for producing some of the greatest PC games ever, such as Half-Life. What a fascinating era.

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2025-03-21 15:11