In the ever-expanding world of games, where titles like Half-Life have become legendary, it's hard to imagine Valve's masterpiece being called anything else. Yet, Dario Casali, a level designer who joined Valve in its early days, has recently taken to YouTube to share some fascinating tidbits from the development era of the late '90s.
Among the revelations is a list of alternative names that could have redefined the game's identity. Imagine a universe where Half-Life was known as Quiver, the original codename for the project when Casali came on board. Or picture the confusion if Valve had settled on Fallout, a name that would later become synonymous with Bethesda's post-apocalyptic saga.
Seriously, the entire list of potential names reads like a brainstorming session frozen in time: Bent, Dirt, Lead, Pressure, and even the more tongue-in-cheek Screwed were all contenders.
The names weren't just random shots in the dark; they were split into categories of popularity and potential. Half-Life sat alongside Adrenaline, Bolt, Burn, C.I.A, CrYsis (another first-person shooter was developed with this title in 2007), Free Radical, Shiv, and Trash in the 'Names that are still in the running' column.