Valve will be releasing a brand new game in conjecture with the just-released Steam Deck. However, the game is probably not what most players were expecting. Called the Aperture Desk Job, it is a first-person job simulator where players control a “product inspector.” The game is set in the same universe as the Portal series, and it will release for free on March 1.
A short trailer for Aperture Desk Job shows that the game will be tongue-in-cheek. There’s a narrator in the trailer that mocks the player’s job, and the player is testing a lot of odd products, including a toilet. The aesthetics of the game are comparable to Portal, with a robot that looks similar to Wheatley from Portal 2 assisting the player. Even the game’s title, Aperture Desk Job, is a reference to Aperture Laboratories in the Portal games.
Aperture Desk Job is classified as a free playable short and will use the full capabilities of the Steam Deck. The Steam product page for the game emphasizes that the game is not Portal 3 and to “[l]ower your expectations.”
Even though Valve is a video game developer, the company’s focus has been more on Steam rather than making new games. They recently have been expanding into making games again, with Half-Life: Alyx releasing on Steam in 2020.
