The last Twitter update before this past week was March 2019
The last time we left Artifact, it was in a really weird place.
Valve wasn’t quite using the term “maintenance mode” or “abandoned,” but it was clear that it was no longer a priority after a series of launch woes. Its lead architect (the legendary Richard Garfield of Magic: The Gathering fame) left the project, and a vague “Towards a Better Artifact” update was posted on March 29, 2019. That was the first Twitter update in three whole months, and after that, the account went completely dark for nearly a year: until now.
In true Valve fashion, something equally vague is coming. An “under construction” update was posted on said social account, leading to a very short page that simply notes: “First off, we wanted to say thanks for all of your tweets, emails and posts. The continued interest in Artifact has been encouraging, and we sincerely appreciate all of the feedback! You might notice some changes soon – we are starting tests on our systems and infrastructure. This shouldn’t impact live Artifact but we wanted to give you a heads up. Expect more news after the launch of Half-Life: Alyx!”
Speaking to Edge Magazine, Valve boss Gabe Newell is intimating that this is an “Artifact 2” style reboot. Nothing to do but continue to wait I guess!
Artifact [Valve]