Valve Shelves “In The Valley of Gods”: Is This Another Victim of Valve Time Limbo?

Valve Shelves “In The Valley of Gods”: But Hey, At Least The Water Looked Good

Alright folks, gather around, because it’s time to talk about one of the biggest (and strangest) “what might have been” moments in the gaming world. I’m talking about “In The Valley of Gods”, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed Firewatch, developed by the very talented team at Campo Santo. But hold on; as things usually go when Valve gets its hands on something, the story took a bit of a detour. Did you hear that gasp? Because I did.

A Brilliant Future Cut Short by Valve Acquisition

Let’s backtrack to 2017, when “In The Valley of Gods” first dropped onto our radars during the Game Awards. The premise was nothing short of thrilling—an adventure game set in a beautifully recreated Egypt of the 1920s, starring two documentary filmmakers, Rashida and Zora. These two lucked into success with a hit film but found themselves in a career nosedive. All set for a grand comeback, right? But then, Valve stepped in and threw a wrench in the works by acquiring Campo Santo in 2018. Suddenly, all that excitement? Gone.

Now, let’s be clear. I’m a big fan of Valve. Who isn’t? But let’s be honest here, folks—when Valve touches something that’s not directly related to Steam or Half-Life, it has this perplexing habit of putting projects into an indefinite limbo. We’ve seen this before, and we’re seeing it again. Don’t get me wrong… Valve does incredible things — Half-Life: Alyx was a masterpiece. But what about all those other gems, those beautiful little projects that get swiped under the rug just because, well, Valve’s busy doing “Valve things”?

The Glimpse of “What Could Have Been” – Thanks to Water Shader Hero, Matthew Wilde

But here’s something that caught the fanbase off guard recently. Valve Visual Effects Developer Matthew Wilde, the same brilliance behind the water shader in Counter-Strike 2 (yes, that jaw-droppingly realistic water), shared a six-second clip—a tantalizing, fleeting glimpse—of what “In the Valley of Gods” could’ve been. In this short clip, our player bobbed around in beautifully rendered water inside a cave, while fellow protagonist Zora stood at the mouth of the shimmering cavern.

Six seconds. That’s right. Six seconds was all we got, but man, that water? It looked good! It’s stunning, folks. No doubt. And Wilde, in his understated genius, simply commented, “I do tend to work on liquidy things.” Oh boy, do you ever.

Valve Time at Its Finest – When Patience Becomes Suspense

Here’s the kicker, though: this is a classic case of Valve Time. You know it. I know it. We all know it. “Valve Time” is pretty much the gaming equivalent of waiting for the next ice age (it comes when it comes…or it doesn’t). Campo Santo co-founder, Jake Rodkin, practically confirmed what we all feared when he addressed the game’s prolonged development status back in 2019:

• Rodkin stated unequivocally that the famous “2019” release date pasted at the end of the game’s trailer? Not happening. And honestly, considering the years of absolute radio silence, it shouldn’t have been a shock to anyone. But he did get one thing right: when he said that “Valve Time makes fools of us all,” I don’t think a truer statement has ever been made.

You want my takeaway from all this? It’s simple. Just don’t trust release dates attached to Valve products unless you see them literally on your screen, downloadable, installed, and ready to go. Actual gameplay clips are even better, but we’re not holding our breath anymore, are we?

Could It Happen? Maybe, Just Don’t Bet on It

Now let’s entertain the big question: could “In the Valley of Gods” make a miraculous return? Sure, why not? Rodkin suggested it’s “a project people can and may return to”—and that’s not nothing. But we’ve all seen this tale play out before. Remember Half-Life 3? Or how about those other teasers Valve keeps close to their chest? Yeah, I thought so. So excuse me if I’m not exactly holding my breath. But should we just give up hope completely? No, absolutely not. There’s always a faint chance.

Here’s the thing about Valve: once they set their mind to something, they can deliver magic. But we need to recognize that Valve is like a rock band that only releases an album once every, what, decade or so? And when they do, it’s revolutionary. But getting them to finish those unreleased, shelved projects? Yeah, that’s a different story. Maybe one day, when Gabe Newell rolls out of bed and decides, “Today’s the day,” we’ll get a newsletter saying “In The Valley of Gods” is back on track. But again, don’t hold your breath. Catch it when you least expect it, if it even happens.

The Magic Formula: Adventure, Egypt, and… Water!

Let’s not downplay the game’s premise here, though. On paper, In the Valley of Gods was set up to knock our socks off. Combine an old-school adventure set in the mystique of Egypt with Firewatch‘s signature narrative style, throw in some cutting-edge visual technology (that water alone could have sold the game), and you had the potential for an instant classic. Frankly, exploring ancient Egyptian tombs, uncovering lost treasures, and maybe even stumbling across the Tomb of Nefertiti? That’s exactly the kind of immersive, character-driven experience modern gamers crave.

A World That Was, and Perhaps Might Still Be

But lest we get too sentimental, it’s worth noting that the Steam page for In the Valley of Gods still exists. Yes, you read that right. The page is still alive and kicking with a suspiciously far-off release window of…wait for it… December 2029. I mean, okay, they’re not kidding about that “Valve Time,” are they?

Look, maybe 2029 will be our time. Or maybe we’ll still be playing the umpteenth iteration of Counter-Strike by then, and this title will fade into obscurity. But for now, all we’ve got is a gorgeous, shimmering body of water to keep us wondering about what might have been and what could still be.

To Wrap It All Up: What Should We Think?

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess where In the Valley of Gods stands in Valve’s landscaping of ambitious but seemingly forgotten masterpieces. Should we be disappointed? Sure. Should we be surprised? Not at all. But if Valve’s taught us anything over the years, it’s never to count anything out. Maybe by 2029—or 2039, let’s be real— we’ll be wandering the tombs of Nefertiti, and it’ll be worth every agonizing second of our wait.

Until then, at least the water shader looks good. Bravo, Wilde. Bravo.