A major spark came after legendary developer Hideo Kojima visited Valve’s headquarters and shared photos that fans quickly dissected for hidden meanings, including possible references to “3” in Steam Deck imagery. Combined with Valve’s historical silence on the series, even small gestures have been amplified into potential clues about a long-awaited sequel.

At the same time, dataminers have uncovered references to internal projects such as “HLX” and “Project White Sands,” both of which are widely believed to be connected to a new installment in the franchise. Reports also suggest early internal playtesting may already be underway, though nothing has been officially confirmed by Valve.