Just a quick FYI: this photo, featuring Gabe Newell showing off two of his knives (which are, actually, the same knives from early CS:GO builds shown off at various game expos) has been making the rounds… but not in its original, unedited form. There is a photoshopped version that places “Half-Life 3” text on the black screen behind Gabe, as if to imply Gabe had started HL3 moments before taking this photograph. You might have seen it. Needless to say, that is a complete fake. The original, unedited image first popped up in this Facepunch thread.

We’ve actually gotten in contact with the photoshopped version’s creator: Gothic, who confirmed that he originally made it as a joke and did not intend for it to go viral – as it did, largely due to a lack of research from larger gaming sites who unwittingly passed the story on. While the increase in various Half-Life hints and references since December is a fact that is hard to dispute, I don’t think Gabe would go and do this. I’ve gotten loads of messages regarding this whole thing. Don’t be fooled! If there’s something real, you can expect to hear about it right here.