Development
A second Half-Life expansion pack, revolving around a security guard in the facility, was first announced in the second quarter of 2000 as part of an upcoming Dreamcast version of Half-Life. Although the main Dreamcast port was to be developed by Captivation Digital Laboratories, the new expansion was to be developed by Gearbox Software, the same studio who developed Opposing Force. Publisher Sierra Entertainment later officially announced the expansion on August 30, 2000, revealing the name as Blue Shift. As with Opposing Force, the name Blue Shift has a double meaning, referring to both the blue shift light phenomenon, and the name of the shift that the protagonist is assigned to. The Dreamcast version of the game was set to include higher detail models and textures that were double the polygon count of Valve Software's original Half-Life models. At the European Computer Trade Show in September 2000, information about Blue Shift's story and development direction was revealed, along with a release date of November 1, 2000, for the Dreamcast version of Half-Life. The game was delayed by Sierra to ensure the "high expectations of consumers" were met, anticipating release by the end of the year. Further media, gameplay and story information was released in the following weeks and months. Despite this, the Dreamcast version of Half-Life still did not emerge, and speculation in May 2001 suggested the game would be cancelled. On June 16, 2001, Sierra terminated development on the Dreamcast version of Half-Life, citing "changing market conditions" in a press release. GamePro magazine, however, received and published a 2 page review of the game
Although the Dreamcast version of Half-Life was cancelled, Blue Shift persevered. Prior to the cancellation of the Dreamcast version, Sierra announced on March 29, 2001, that Blue Shift would be released for PC as well. The game would be released as a standalone expansion pack, a product that does not require the original Half-Life to run. The new models developed for the Dreamcast version of Half-Life would also be included in the PC version as the Half-Life High Definition pack. In addition, Gearbox announced that the High Definition pack would not be exclusive for Blue Shift, but could be applied to both Half-Life and Opposing Force as well. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2001, Gearbox announced that development of Blue Shift had been completed, and exhibited a playable version of the end product. The game was released on June 12, 2001.
Blue Shift and the High Definition pack were initially absent from the launch of Valve's content delivery system Steam in September 2003, despite the presence of both Half-Life and Opposing Force on the system. The game was released on Steam on August 29, 2005 along with the High Definition Pack. Blue Shift was also published as part of Sierra's Half-Life: Generation compilation in 2002, and as part of Valve Software and Electronic Arts' Half Life 1: Anthology on September 26, 2005.
Read more about this topic: Half-Life: Blue Shift
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