10 Iconic Video Game Mascots That Don't Matter Anymore

Gordan Freeman, the star of Valve's highly acclaimed franchise Half-Life, has lain dormant for far too long. The mascot for much of Valve's early success, and appearing before the likes of Portal and Left 4 Dead, Gordon Freeman's relevance has slowly diminished.

The original Half-Life was first released in 1998 and became one of the most influential first-person shooters of all time.

A highly anticipated sequel, Half-Life 2 was released in 2004, with additional DLC episodes in 2006 and 2007. Half-Life 2 is regarded as one of the best video games of all time, and Gordon Freeman is at the forefront. With his iconic attire of glasses and hazard suit, and his arsenal of crowbar and gravity gun, Gordon Freeman is one of the most recognisable and original video game protagonists.

So why does he not matter anymore? Because Half-Life 3 refuses to exist.

Yes, the virtual reality instalment of Half-Life: Alyx was released in 2020 but that game barely features Freeman, and is only accessible to the small minority of gamers lucky enough to have a VR headset.

Gordon Freeman has been out of the limelight for over thirteen years, and besides Alyx ending on a potential segue into a full instalment if we're lucky, there's no wider sign of a return anytime soon.