Game designer Greg Coomer, often referred to as the «real-life Gordon Freeman» (his likeness was partially used in the creation of Half-Life 2), has left Valve. Reddit users discovered the news after noticing updates to his LinkedIn profile.
Coomer was one of Valve's longest-serving veterans, joining the company in 1997. His contributions include work on all Half-Life titles, Portal, and Left 4 Dead. He also played a key role in naming Valve and was instrumental in the development of the Steam Deck.
Coomer's future plans remain unclear. Some Reddit users speculate that he may have been recruited by Microsoft, which is reportedly seeking talent to develop its own handheld gaming console.
As a reminder, Half-Life 2 is still available for free on Steam.