Well why shouldn't it be released? As we now know it's unlikely to be delivered in a form of a game so it can be given its due another way.

.. Ha-ha, 2 downvotes and no explanation. Is this about so-called 'copy right' bullshit?

Apparently his NDA has just expired.

Valve's ownership of its IP surely didn't expire so this still seems pretty odd.

The writer is claiming it's fanfic, and all the names have been changed.

I also suspect that if no game is going to be released, Valve will not bother with legal action; they look bad as it is already.

Valve's current market idea to not really make games doesn't mean that they don't want to take action on the ip 5, 10, 20, 50, 70 years from now and per their rights they are in their rights to wait that long. Content creators don't owe you a thing unless they already took your money for it.

An argument for content creators not owing you anything seems to mirror that content creators aren't owed any respect for their creations either. I mean we have IP laws to encourage content creaters to create by ensuring they can capitalise on their creations or perhaps to allow them to preserve the artistic merit of these creations.

In that spirit there's probably a good argument to be made that it's in the public interest to add to clearly incomplete bodies of work that appear to be abandoned. Whether that's practical or does more harm to the public good is the question.

Sure but what's a valid window? At 5 years Martin would have lost game of thrones.

Also they owe you for the thing they made already. If you forced them to complete works on your timeline then you're indenturing them.

Likely disgruntled with not getting his story told.