A fan-made Portal remake is 100% ready for release after 15 years in development, but has hit a major issue ahead of its planned launch. The new Portal project was first announced back in 2011, but legal issues seem to be halting the release right at the final hurdle.
Portal: Alive & Kicking is a fan remake of the original Portal, itself commonly seen as one of the best puzzle games ever made. It highlights itself as "a full remake and re-imagining" of Valve's 2007 title using the visual capabilities of its sequel, Portal 2. Visuals aren't the only improvements, though, with development team Rhubarb & Rhubarb boasting other good changes including "improved puzzle cues" and a "new dynamic soundtrack that combines the styles of both Portal's forlorn drones and Portal 2's reactive scoring."
Fan-Made Portal Remake is 100% Complete, But Valve is Ghosting the Developer
Image via Rhubarb & Rhubarb
Image via Rhubarb & Rhubarb
Image via Rhubarb & Rhubarb
Image via Rhubarb & Rhubarb
A recent post on the Steam Community forums has confirmed that Portal: Alive & Kicking is 100% complete and ready to be released to the public after a long 15-year development cycle. However, according to one developer involved in the project, "We use source code Valve gave us," and while the team initially signed an NDA, it wasn't until recently that it signed an important non-commercial release form. Since then, the developer has had no response from Valve, a wait that has gone on for a few months according to another comment from the same individual in late June. The license is required "because we have modified Portal 2's source code" to bring the project to life. Until Valve responds, there's nothing to be done, and Portal: Alive & Kicking waits in the wings for permission to release.
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A recent Reddit post on the Portal subreddit from user Livid-Active-3121 has aimed to draw some attention to the ongoing situation. Some users in the thread suggested directly emailing Gabe Newell for a resolution. It's no secret that Newell often replies to random emails from fans, many of which are later posted online to show the unique interaction. Whether he would be able to resolve the issue at hand here, though, is another matter altogether.
It's somewhat surprising that Valve hasn't responded to help Portal: Alive & Kicking make it to release. The developer has typically been supportive of fan-made projects, and even allowed Black Mesa, a complete remake of the original Half-Life, to release on Steam commercially. That's not to say Valve hasn't shut down fan projects in the past - it has, where necessary. However, given that there has been previous communication between Valve and the Portal: Alive & Kicking team, that doesn't seem to be an issue here.
It's not clear what Valve intends to do with the Portal franchise in the future. The studio has been radio-silent on the prospect of Portal 3, leaving fans to theorize about what a potential new game in the series could look like. Given that it has already been 15 years since Portal 2 was released, it's safe to say that Valve is in no rush to do anything with the IP, which is why it would be a shame if a project like Portal: Alive & Kicking couldn't be released and give fans their fix.
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle
