Portal 2 News

Valve veteran Jay Pinkerton has returned to the developer a year after he left the company.

Valve has returned to the world of Portal for Moondust, a brand new virtual reality demo. Working for Aperture Science's Lunar Resources Initiative, you are sent into spaaaace to construct a modular space station, and then down onto the Moon itself for further testing.

Former Valve scribe Chet Faliszek, best known for his work on the Portal and Left 4 Dead games, along with the Half-Life 2 episodic expansions, has joined Bossa Studios.

Chet Faliszek has brought his 12 year career at Valve Software to a close, our sister site GamesIndustry.biz has revealed.

Valve writer Erik Wolpaw has left the famous Bellevue, Washington studio as of today.

Someone has managed to make an augmented reality mod that brings Portal's titular device - and its iconic companion cube - into the real world via Microsoft's HoloLens AR headset.

Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead have been added to the Xbox One's Xbox One's backwards compatibility list.

A jury ruled in favour of defendant Valve on 2nd November 2017, finding the plaintiff was not discriminated against for transgender or disability reasons, nor dismissed for such.

Everyone's favourite football car game Rocket League is about to get an infusion of new technology courtesy of Aperture Science.

It looks like most of us will have to wait until early 2016 before we can buy Valve's virtual reality headset the Vive.

If you pre-order any of the Steam hardware devices (Steam controller, Steam Link or Steam Machine) you get free copies of Rocket League and Portal 2.

Back in February we covered Portal Stories: Mel, a free Portal 2 mod that looks so refined it could easily be mistaken for an official Valve product. Now that mod is slated for release tomorrow on Steam.

US retailer Walmart has listed a Portal-themed level pack for Lego Dimensions.

Valve's Chet Faliszek took to the stage at EGX Rezzed to deliver a talk on the HTC Vive, the company's virtual reality offering.

It looks like Valve isn't hurrying to make a new Portal game, but an upcoming unofficial Portal 2 mod may be the next best thing.

A recent study from Florida State University pitted Portal 2 against a piece of software specifically designed to train one's brain. The result: Portal 2 was more effective at that sort of thing.

Valve has launched the Steam Music Player, which lets you listen to your music collection while you play games on the digital platform.

It's no secret that when Valve initially conceived of Portal 2 it didn't have portals. Or at least it didn't have a portal gun. Now, Valve superfans have created their own modded campaign that follows in the footsteps of Valve's bold, yet scrapped, creative exercise with Aperture Tag.

Recently board game manufacturer and publisher Cryptozoic Entertainment announced that it was working on a Portal board game and that Valve was involved, but it's now been revealed that Valve created the board game and pitched it to Cryptozoic, not the other way around as one might think.

Kids don't listen to adults any more - but they'll listen to a megalomaniacal artificial intelligence!

Last autumn developer Sixense built some PlayStation Move-based DLC for Portal 2 entitled In Motion. Now, the studio is adding free DLC to the DLC in the form of an all new co-op campaign called Non-Emotional Manipulation.

In March 2010, Valve updated Portal with a mysterious patch that set fans on a trail of code-cracking and puzzle solving that ultimately led to the announcement of Portal 2.

Valve has been measuring salty sweat oozing from people's pores while they play video games.

Update: It looks like this was more than just a gag as J.J. Abrams is actually in talks with Valve about developing movies based on Half-Life and Portal.

The director of fan film Portal: No Escape is set to helm the movie version of graphic novel series Y: The Last Man.

Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro has revealed the first trailer for his new monster movie Pacific Rim, which stars GLaDOS voice actress Ellen McLain as a robot AI.

Portal 2 developer Valve has added a new split-screen option for the PC version's co-op mode.

Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified, the colon-filled PlayStation Vita version of Activision's shooter, will be available to download today from the EU PlayStation Store. It costs £44.99.

The Portal 2 In Motion DLC campaign launches on the European PlayStation Network next week, Sony has announced.

Portal 2's In Motion DLC will launch on 6th November on the US PlayStation Store, Sony has announced.

How do you get a job in the game industry? According to Valve, all you have to do is give yourself one.

Valve is planning to put its first hardware into beta sometime next year, noted Valve employee Jeri Ellsworth in a report by Endgadget.

The hardware division's goal is "to make Steam games more fun to play in your living room." To start with that includes Big Picture Mode, which makes Steam's UI more conducive to browsing with a gamepad on a TV, but eventually it would like to go beyond that and make mouse and keyboard games more accessible to the console crowd.

How it will do this is anyone's guess. Will it be a new hybrid controller, a console, or perhaps a real-life turret gun made by Lord of the Rings special effects gurus Weta? [Shown below.]

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Valve's definitely building wearable computer hardware, because a New York Times writer went inside the company's Seattle HQ, put on a pair of prototype gaming goggles and tested them for himself.

At some point in Portal 2's development protagonist Chell was slated to marry a turret, Valve announced during a panel at PAX Prime.

Valve is "frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space" - "so we're jumping in".

Valve, fresh from not announcing Half-Life 3 at Gamescom, has released a free PC update for Portal 2's puzzle maker that allows co-op test chambers to be built.

Before you can use Steam, you must agree to Steam's terms. And those terms - the Steam Subscriber Agreement and Valve's Privacy Policy - have been updated.

Valve has also opened a new office in Luxembourg to better serve its European audience with. Nice place, Luxembourg - has a population of half-a-million and a capital city named Luxembourg.

The most significant change to the Steam terms concerns taking Valve to court over a dispute.

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An anonymous NASA employee has customised a panel for the International Space Station, adorning it with an image of Space Core from Portal 2.

The part was blasted into orbit last Friday aboard a Japanese resupply craft.

It was photographed bearing an image of Space Core, along with his catchphrase: "In spaaaaaaace!".

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An official Portal Lego set may be on its way after a fan-made prototype received the 10,000 votes required to be considered for production on the Danish blockmaker's crowdsourced platform Cuusoo.

This means that the set will go into review at the start of the next quarter in September. At this point, a "Lego Jury" comprised of designers, product managers, and other key team members will determine if it's a viable concept. This will be based on criteria such as playability, safety and fit with the Lego brand. This process could take several months.

If it meets Lego's standards and goes into production, it will take several more months while marketing materials, instructions and packaging are manufactured.

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As rumoured the other day, the Steam Summer Sale is now upon us.

Valve has countered EA's accusation that Steam sales "cheapen" intellectual property, saying they in fact benefit games, publishers and gamers.

Last month EA's David DeMartini, who runs rival digital platform Origin, said Steam sales, which often see discounts of up to 75 per cent, "cheapen intellectual property".

Vowing not to copy Steam's popular 75 per cent off sales, DeMartini said: "The game makers work incredibly hard to make this intellectual property, and we're not trying to be Target. We're trying to be Nordstrom."

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Valve has explained how it's able to make decisions despite being "bossless".

Steam Greenlight, Valve's new system for allowing the community to vote on what games get released onto its digital platform, will create fandom, the company has said.

Update: It's a hat! Of course it's a hat.

Perspective looks to be an innovative puzzle/platformer from the DigiPen Institute of technology, where the student game inspiring Portal was born.

Teachers can claim a complimentary PC copy of acclaimed puzzle adventure Portal 2 for use in the classroom, Valve has announced.

The PlayStation 3 version of acclaimed Valve puzzler Portal 2 will receive a new slice DLC, designed for use with PlayStation Move.

Portal 2: In Motion offers 20 extra test chambers, previously available with the Razer Hydra motion controller for PC.

PlayStation Move support will be added for the main Portal 2 campaign, too. The motion controls allow players to fire portals, pick up objects and rescale them.

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Ever wondered what would happen if Capcom and Valve got together to do a fantasy Street Fighter x Portal crossover fighting game?

Valve has launched Steam remote downloads.

The feature, which was in beta, enables Steam users to manage their library of games remotely via the internet. If you leave Steam running on your PC or Mac, you can log into the Steam website or mobile access and download pre-loads, new releases and latest purchases, as soon as they're available. When you're home, your new downloads will be installed and ready to play.

You can do this from the Games list on the Steam Community site, which you can access from a web browser or the Steam mobile app. The Games list will reflect the installation state of your library on that machine. Find your game and hit install to trigger remote download.

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The image of Valve as a manager-less utopia where staff have free rein to do as they please, as painted by its recently leaked Employee Handbook, is a little wide of the mark, according to former Portal lead designer Kim Swift.

Portal lead designer Kim Swift insists she isn't feeling the pressure to top the classic Valve puzzler with her new game Quantum Conundrum.

In a couple of days, more than 35,000 maps have been made by fans for Portal 2, Valve's discovered.

Genius puzzle sequel Portal 2 has now sold over four million units worldwide across PC, Mac and console, developer Valve has revealed via a new NeoGamr interview.

Its predecessor also managed four million, not counting Steam sales, surely putting the series life-to-date tally near the 10 million mark.

The news coincides with the release of the new Perpetual Testing Initiative DLC for the PC and Mac versions of the game.

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Graphical artist Alex Zemke, whose CV includes work on Killzone 3, Uncharted 2 and 3, SOCOM 4 and various CG-animated films, is creating an animated Portal short.

New Portal 2 DLC that lets you create and share your own levels launches on Mac and PC from 8th May, developer Valve has announced.

Titled Perpetual Testing Initiative, it's a free download featuring a "simplified puzzle maker" that lets you publish levels to Steam Workshop where other players can browse, play and vote on them.

Valve hasn't announced a console release for the expansion.

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Valve is working on augmenting reality with wearable computing.

A new Valve job advertisement has added weight to the recent rumour that the Half-Life maker is working on a Steam Box product.

Portal 2 won Best Game at last night's British Academy Video Game Awards. Valve's comedy puzzle adventure was also the biggest winner of the night, taking home three gongs, the others being for Design and Story.

Valve has poured cold water on the rumour that it is making a Steam Box console.

Valve boss Gabe Newell is worth an eye-watering $1.5 billion.

Warning! Portal 2 spoilers below.

BAFTA has announced its shortlist for the 2012 British Academy Video Games Awards and Batman: Arkham City and L.A. Noire lead the pack with eight nominations each.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was crowned Game of the Year at this year's video gaming Oscars, the AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards.

Brilliant developer Valve has made a Portal 2 Space Core mod for brilliant game Skyrim.

The AIAS shortlist for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards - i.e. the game Oscars - has been revealed.

The most pirated PC game of 2011 wasn't Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 or Skyrim - it was Crysis 2.

Valve co-founder and CEO Gabe Newell believes piracy stems not from price, but from convenience. And as Steam boasts fast access to a dizzying selection of games, so piracy has become "basically a non-issue" for Valve.

A second batch of Portal 2 DLC arrives early next year, developer Valve has announced.

PC shooter Crysis fires onto the PlayStation Store this week. It's a polished port of the original's single-player campaign, available for £15.99.

Arcade slamdunker NBA Jam: On Fire Edition also courts your wallet this week, while new and free Portal 2 DLC continues the adventures of co-op robots P-Body and and Atlus in a new two-player test track.

There's still no sign of Mortal Kombat: Arcade Kollection - now over a month late - and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, expected last week.

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The Portal 2 Peer Review DLC has been released on Xbox Live Arcade.

It's free.

It measures 1.37GB.

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The first set of free Portal 2 DLC, titled Peer Review, launches on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 4th October, developer Valve has announced.

The pack continues the story of Aperture bots P-Body and Atlas as they make their way through a new co-op test track, once again trying to outwit GLaDOS.

On top of that, there's a new single player and co-op Challenge Mode, and leaderboards are now live too.

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Steam has officially launched its new Trading feature today following last month's open beta.

Portal 2 was more successful on the PC than it was on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Valve boss Gabe Newell has revealed.

Valve wants the Xbox Live Arcade version of upcoming shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to feature Steamworks integration.

The free batch of Portal 2 DLC announced earlier this year arrives next month, Valve has confirmed.

FPS sequel Crysis 2 has now sold in three million copies worldwide, publisher EA has announced.

Portal 2, Dead Space 2 and Dragon Age II, meanwhile, have all broken the two million mark, while FIFA 11 nears 15 million units and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 nine million.

The numbers come from EA's fiscal Q1 earnings report, which saw the publisher log non-GAAP net revenue of $524 million, down slightly from $539 million this time last year. Digital revenue was picked out as a highlight though, increasing 11 per cent to $209 million.

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Few people will praise Portal higher than lead Brink writer Ed Stern.

PC owners of physics-based first-person platformer Portal 2 can now download Valve's pick of the best community-made maps.

Portal 2 has sold in excess of three million copies, developer Valve has announced.

According to Joystiq, studio president Gabe Newell made the announcement at the Games For Change event in New York earlier today.

He didn't mention whether that number takes into account Steam sales as well as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but he'd certainly have access to that data.

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There are 10 new levels available for Portal 2, but only if you have a Razer Hydra PC controller.

After a no-show at E3 last week, Portal 2 maker Valve has confirmed it will present at August's show gamescom.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions and Portal 2 were among the new entries on this week's Japanese software chart.

Valve is making the Portal 2 soundtrack available for free via the game's website.

A US news station has accused Valve of insensitivity over orphan jokes in Portal 2's script.

Mortal Kombat has unseated Pokémon Black/White at the top of the monthly US sales chart.

Recording his dialogue for Portal 2 was one of the most exhausting jobs Stephen Merchant has ever taken on, so says The Office co-creator.

Didn't you find Portal 2 maps challenging enough? Well now you can make your own - Valve has released beta Authoring Tools for Portal 2.

As well as single-player and co-op maps, you can use the tools to create skins, models, sound effects and music.

Valve apparently used similar tools to make the full Portal 2 game.

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Valve boss Gabe Newell has clarified recent reports that Portal 2 would be the developer's final "isolated single-player title", insisting that just isn't the case.

Zumba Fitness has toppled Portal 2 to regain the UK all format chart's coveted top spot.

A new update for the PC version of Portal 2 hit Steam over the weekend.

No major changes have been made but a number of crash-causing bugs have been squashed and a few localisation issues ironed out.

Here are the full patch notes, which should take effect next time you boot up your Steam client:

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Acclaimed first-person puzzler Portal 2 gets new DLC "this summer", developer Valve has announced, and you won't have to pay a penny for it.

Completed Portal 2 already? Not to worry. New additions to the title are being assembled for launch this summer.

Portal 2 is Valve's final dedicated single-player game, according to comments allegedly made by the studio to GameTrailer TV's Geoff Keighley.

A new update for the PC and Mac versions of Portal 2 is now live on Steam, offering a number of bug fixes.

The patch, which will be applied automatically when you restart your Steam client, smooths over a few glitches and makes a couple of minor gameplay tweaks.

Here's the full list of changes:

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Pop down to your local GAME or gamestation and you'll be able to buy the PC version of Portal 2, Eurogamer can reveal.

Hours after releasing Portal 2 on Steam, creator Valve has announced predecessor Portal has sold close to four million units.

But Portal has likely sold substantially more copies. As GameSpot reports, the four million figure excludes digital download sales from Steam.

Portal launched in 2007 as part of the superb The Orange Box compilation.

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Despite bringing in some of the highest review scores of the year so far, the PC version of Portal 2 is taking an absolute battering on its Metacritic user score page.

You can play the PC and Mac versions of Portal 2 two days before launch in UK shops by buying it from Steam.

It's a hard time to be a gamer. Marvellous temperatures outside and a small flotilla of incoming bank holidays call you away from your gaming device(s) of choice. What else could herald one of the busiest weeks of game releases so far this year?

Want to unlock Portal 2 on Steam ahead of its published 22nd April launch date? Then you'd better get stuck into the Potato Sack indie bundle.

A countdown by fictional Portal 2 company Aperture Science ticks to zero today, at 5pm UK time.

You will need a Steam account for the full Portal 2 experience on PlayStation 3, Valve has revealed.

Portal 2 maker Valve has officially launched Steam Guard.

Steam Guard, which had been in beta, blocks any attempt to access a protected account from an unrecognised computer and is designed to add a layer of protection to your games.

It works by sending a verification email to the your registered email address that must be actioned should a computer attempt access.

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On Valve's website sits a profile page, and on that profile page sits an entry for Left 4 Dead writer Chet Faliszek. It reads: "We are all still trying to figure out exactly what it is that Chet does at Valve, but at the very least he occupies office space on the 11th floor as self-proclaimed Mr. Awesome."

The PlayStation 3 version of upcoming first-person puzzler Portal 2 is the first on Sony's console to support features from Steamworks. But what about the Xbox 360? Will Steamworks ever arrive alongside an Xbox 360 game?

Valve Software has insisted that, when it comes to content, all versions of upcoming first-person puzzler Portal 2 are exactly the same.

Steam is about to hit living room tellys, Valve has announced.

Last week Valve's brain-bending first-person puzzler Portal 2 had PlayStation Move support. It was a story that set the internet alight – Valve superstar writer Chet Faliszek had told the German PlayStation Blog Portal 2 would have "complete PlayStation Move support", although the feature "isn't fully integrated yet".

Portal 2 will have "complete PlayStation Move support", Valve has declared, although the feature "isn't fully integrated yet".

Digital download platform Steam controls half to 70 per cent of the $4 billion market for downloaded PC games, according to a new report.

Portal 2 will offer two different endings, one for single play and one for co-op play, developer Valve has confirmed.

Speaking to Videogamer, the title's writer Chet Falliszek promised, "Both sets of credits [will feature something special], because we've got two credits."

He went on to explain that finishing the game should be well within reach of most players.

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The PlayStation 3 version of Valve's upcoming first-person puzzler Portal 2 features cross-platform play and chat with the Steam PC and Mac versions.

The composer of Still Alive, the infectious ditty that closed out Portal, has written a new tune for the impending sequel.

Songwriter Jonathan Coulton confirmed its existence with the following tease on his Twitter feed: "Closing the doors. If this plane goes down, the Portal 2 song goes with it. It is in my pocket..."

No further news regarding in what capacity the tune will feature, but you won't have to wait too long to find out. Valve's much anticipated sequel to its 2007 puzzler drops out of the ceiling on 22nd April.

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PC users who pick up the new Razer Hydra motion controller will be able to play exclusive Portal 2 content unavailable in console versions of the game.

According to Joystiq, Razer has teamed up with Valve to offer a Portal 2 bundle including the new controller, the game and additional levels built specifically for the new device.

What, you may ask, is the Razer Hydra? Well, it's a new motion control system developed by Sixense. You play with two wands, both with thumb sticks. Instead of using a camera to track your movements, a la PlayStation Move, the Hydra uses a small base station to create an electromagnetic field with a six foot radius.

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EA Partners, the division of EA that publishes third-party games, has picked up Valve's mind-bending first-person puzzle game Portal 2.

Portal 2 will not make it's previously reported release date of 9th February, developer Valve has announced.

The sequel to its widely adored first person puzzler has been pushed back until 22nd April 2011.

Major bummer, right? Well, Valve is more of a glass-half-full sort.

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There's still a huge market for single player-only games, developer Valve has insisted.

EA is talking to Valve about publishing rights for first-person puzzler Portal 2.

Valve has reportedly said Portal 2 will be released on Wednesday, 9th February 2011. The game is in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Confirmation comes from gamescom, where CVG also heard that The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant will lend his vocals to the game. He'll bring the Buddy Sphere to life.

Portal 2 made waves at E3 when Valve boss Gabe Newell confirmed the game for PS3. He thanked Sony for not "repeatedly punching [him] in the face" because of his past comments about the console.

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Valve Software has announced that Portal 2 will be coming to PlayStation 3.

Valve has announced that Portal 2 won't be released until 2011.

Valve boss Gabe Newell has mailed fan site HalfLife2.net to say that the developer's E3 reveal is not Half-Life 2: Episode 3.

Valve has announced, via a quirky email, that the Portal 2 E3 event has been replaced by "a surprise".

Valve's Portal-inspired blue screen of death, which popped up during Gabe Newell's GDC Awards speech last night, had a hidden message.

Valve has confirmed its not entirely secret plans to bring Steam to the Mac, and revealed the extent to which the Apple platform now weighs on the studio's thinking.

Steam will launch on Mac in April, and Valve's games - including Counter-Strike, the Half-Life series, Left 4 Dead 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 will be ready then too.

But Valve will also make its future games available simultaneously on Windows and Mac, starting with Portal 2 this Christmas.

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Portal 2 features a separate two-player co-operative campaign, playable over the internet, and new gameplay features include physics-changing paint.

That's according to various reports and scans that have popped up since Friday's confirmation that Portal 2 is due out this year on PC and Xbox 360. According to Game Informer's latest preview, it's also heading to Mac.

A GameStop product page filled in some of the blanks. "Portal 2 introduces a cast of dynamic new characters, a host of fresh puzzle elements, and a much larger set of devious test chambers," it explained.

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Update: Valve's Doug Lombardi has told Eurogamer that the game's due for PC and Xbox 360.