Newsbrief: Portal 2 writer Jay Pinkerton has returned to Valve just over a year after leaving the company.

The veteran scribe exited the studio in June last year, rounding off a spate of high-profile departures that included Half-Life writer Marc Laidlaw, virtual reality ambassador Chet Faliszek, and Portal and Left 4 Dead wordsmith Erik Wolpaw.

As spotted by one eagle-eyed Reddit user, however, Pinkerton has returned to the fold, and is once again listed on the Valve staff page.

His return has since been confirmed by Valve in an email sent to PCGamer, though the reason for his departure and eventual return are still a mystery.