Surgeon Simulator dev squashes Half-Life 3 rumors

Bossa Studios has confirmed that the Easter egg recently discovered in Surgeon Simulator 2013 is not a tease for Half-Life 3.

"Whoa! It seems that you've got a little ahead of yourselves! Here's a clue: THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY VALVE GAMES! Carry on now…," the developer wrote on Twitter today.

Gamers this week discovered a note taped to an object with Korean text inside Surgeon Simulator 2013. The text reportedly reads "The time is," with dots said to be in reference to planets within the solar system.

"The time is 8:47 a.m." is one of the first lines in the original Half-Life.

The discovery was made following the Team Fortress 2 update for Surgeon Simulator 2013. The free update allows gamers to play as Team Fortress 2's medic and operate on the heavy.

Last April, Valve boss Gabe Newell said the studio had gone through numerous "twists and turns" to bring the game to market. He explained that Valve's silence is in the best interest of gamers because elaborating on the game's development "would probably drive people more crazy."

The most recent Half-Life game was 2007's Half-Life 2: Episode Two. That game advances the story of previous entries Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One. A third episode was planned, but has not seen the light of day.

A listing for Half-Life 3 was recently spotted in a Valve project tracker.