Last week’s sudden posting of a Half-Life 3 synopsis by former Valve writer Marc Laidlaw has led to some trying to find meaning in his timing. According to Laidlaw, though, the release was “emotional” not “tactical”.

He sketches out his reasoning in a set of tweets, referencing the announcement of Valve’s Dota 2-themed card game, Artifact. “People are apparently trying to divine some connection between Artifact and the timing of the Epistle,” he writes. “There’s none.”

Laidlaw says the release of his ‘Epistle’ about Half-Life 3 (or Half-Life 2: Episode 3) was “purely related to my own internal creative process, retirement, wanting to put things aside … It was an emotional release, not a tactical one.” He adds that he is not seeking to “critique or influence anybody” and then channels the Godfather, stating: “Valve is family.”