Portal: Alive & Kicking, a fan-made Portal remake announced back in 2011, is finally ready to launch after over a decade. But there is a problem. According to the team, the game is currently awaiting Valve's approval for publication, and Valve has gone silent.
“We're using the source code that Valve gave us. We signed an NDA, but not a non-commercial release form originally,” developer Dot Operator explained on the Steam forums. “We have now signed the no-com form but they have not responded.”
By late June, many supporters of Portal: Alive & Kicking were concerned that the project had been abandoned. Dot Operator assured that it had not been, and that the work was in fact completed. “I have not received any updates from Valve since I filled out a non-commercial license template a few months ago,” they claimed. “I'm grateful they gave us that option in the first place, but now we're hearing nothing. The game is ready, but we don't have the ability to release it on Steam right now.”
Dot Operator explained that “The license is required because we've modified Portal 2's source code (which already had its own NDA signed to acquire it),” so there's currently no way to release the mod even outside of Steam without approval. The team reached out through the usual support channels, but again heard nothing. “Steamworks support tickets are done through the same system they say Steam hasn't bought, “I don't respond. have anywhere else to send requests as far as I know.”
Weeks have passed without an update, as Dot Operator repeats over and over again that the project is complete – it just can't be shared with players yet. In a last ditch effort, Livid-Active-3121 wrote about the situation on the game's subreddit in hopes of raising awareness. “The developers' hands are tied by the NDA, and Valve is just sitting on a finished game,” they claimed. “Spam support doesn't work, but making a public noise might. Let's bring attention to this project so Valve finally notices these forms from March! We've been waiting for this mod for years.”
Valve has been incredibly open to working with modders in the past, even hiring developers and folding their games into its portfolio, such as with Counter-Strike, Dota and Team Fortress, some of its biggest hits. As recently as 2020, Valve approved the fan-made Half-Life remake Black Mesa to launch on the Steam store — even allowing Crowbar Collective to charge for the game. Portal: Alive & Kicking is a similarly ambitious reimagining of the original Portal, but unlike Black Mesa, it's free-to-play, so it's particularly odd that Valve has gone radio silent on the team.
We've reached out to Valve for clarification.
- Released
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October 10, 2007
- ESRB
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t
- Engine
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Source engine
- Compatibility with Steam Deck
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Verified
