Is Valve working on something new? Or could it be Team Fortress 2? Let's see what this newly discovered codename "TF" is all about.
The latest update for Valves new hero shooter "Deadlock" has revealed a mysterious codename that could be hinting at a yet unannounced game. Since Valve is working on a game engine that runs both Counter-Strike 2 and Deadlock for instance, dataminers often find codenames for unannounced projects in the engine data. Just like that, Half Life 3 and Deadlock's codenames Citatel and HLX had been found before the games were even revealed.
Project TF: What Is Valve Working On Right Now?
The "Tf" codename was uncovered within Deadlock's resourcecompiler.dll file, with analysis suggesting it's newer than both Deadlock (formerly known as Citadel) and Counter-Strike 2. According to Valve dataminer Tyler McVicker, this isn't simply random text that could be leftover from previous projects.
"It's more than just two letters," McVicker emphasized. "This is not a random thing that could be leftover."
The discovery follows a similar pattern to previous Valve leaks. Around 2022, a project codename "HLX" appeared, which eventually developed into what many believe to be Half-Life 3. This new "Tf" codename appears to follow the same pattern of unintentional early reveals.
How Valve Makes Games
Here's the deal with how Valve develops games: everything runs on the same Source 2 engine. They don't make separate versions for different games. So when developers work on one game, pieces of code can show up in files for other games – which is how dataminers find these secrets.
"Everything at Valve is done on the same piece of software and that software is Source 2," McVicker explained.
Valve devs need to switch between different game projects, so they use codenames. When they launch Source 2 with a specific codename, the engine adjusts its tools for that particular game.
What Does "TF" Stand For?
The obvious guess is something related to Team Fortress. TF2 came out in 2007 and still has players, but hasn't gotten a sequel in over 16 years.
McVicker thinks "Tf" is likely "an original thing" made by Valve, not a third-party project or simple port. Could be Team Fortress 3, a spin-off, or something completely different.
If you're a Valve fan, you know the drill: wait. Valve takes their time and keeps things secret. It could be years from codename to finished game, like we saw with Deadlock (formerly Citadel). What we do know is that somewhere at Valve, a team is working on something called "Tf" – and based on their track record, it's worth keeping an eye on.
Even with Valve's focus on Steam and hardware like the Steam Deck, this shows they're still making new games.