I don't see a timer at the bottom of their website - instead I see this line of text:

https://blackmesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SampleinGC.png DAMN! You guys are quick... Didn't even have time to put the right image up yet.

That SampleinGC.png image is accessible, and is a picture of a vial in a testing chamber of some sort. The image also has metadata attached; a description that is a string of morse code:

-.--
***
..- / .-. . .- .-.. .. --.. . / .-- . / .- .-. . / .--- ..- ... - / -- .- -.- .. -. --. / - .... . ... . / -... . -.-. .- ..- ... . / -.--
***
..- / ... . . -- / -
***
/ .-.. .. -.- . / - .... . -- / .- -. -.. / .... .- ...- . / ..-. ..- -. / .-- . / -..
***
/ -.
***
- / .... .- ...- . / .- -. -.-- - .... .. -. --. / -
***
/ -..
***
/ .-- .. - .... / - .... . / ...- .. -.. .
***
/ --. .- -- . / - .... .. ... / .. ... / -.
***
- / .- -. / .- .-. --.

translated:

YOU REALIZE WE ARE JUST MAKING THESE BECAUSE YOU SEEM TO LIKE THEM AND HAVE FUN WE DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE VIDEO GAME THIS IS NOT AN ARG

https://blackmesa.com/resonance-cascades This article on their site explicitly states that they are a real biotech company in Boston not associated with valve in any way. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news :(

If this was truly a real start-up, they'd have information for investors to invest.There would be something about what they do other than just "biotech." There would be some kind of contact information besides an email. There would be names associated with it.

But they don't.

I don't, however, believe it was actually made by Valve. Either a modder hyping some mod or just a prankster.

If it is a real company, I'm pretty sure they're breaking copyright using that trademarked logo.

Nothing to do with Half Life besides someone there being a fan:

As many of you correctly assessed, we're actually a real company in the Boston area. We're working hard to assure and secure vaccine and other biological manufacturing production. As much as we would be honored to be part of any Valve game - we do not work in this sector at all. We are not secretly working on Half Life 3, Project White Sands (whatever that is/may be) or any other Valve title - we're just nerds working to secure the global bioeconomy.

Like a kid in 2000 desperately hoping that box under the tree is a PS2, I really think that we might be about to see news of something I dare not say. But if it's nothing, I'm going to be really disappointed. Sigh.

Black Mesa is working with select public and private-sector partners to evaluate and test the technology. If you are interested in partnering with us to usher in a new era of assurance and quality in biomanufacturing, please reach out.

Oh, that's not good.

Lots of corporate jargon about AI mixed with biotech talk. Perhaps teasing some in-game AI related shennigans.

Timers up, reveals a URL that someone else pointed out:

https://blackmesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SampleinGC.png

Dr. _______

Xen crystal.

These are more Half Life references.

We love the Half Life community. In the last couple of days we've received a ton of messages of support and curiosity about Black Mesa. It's heartening to see that the internet can still be a place where people send inquisitive messages while staying respectful - thank you. Thank you as well to those who sent the thousands of fake inquiries on our website, they made us laugh. We loved seeing the creative messages.

As many of you correctly assessed, we're actually a real company in the Boston area. We're working hard to assure and secure vaccine and other biological manufacturing production. As much as we would be honored to be part of any Valve game - we do not work in this sector at all. We are not secretly working on Half Life 3, Project White Sands (whatever that is/may be) or any other Valve title - we're just nerds working to secure the global bioeconomy.

We <3 all of you, you've made us laugh quite a bit this week at a time when we needed it. We might put up a couple fun challenges and send the first solvers some swag. That is Black Mesa - the Boston biotech company swag.

Our love, The Black Mesa team.

PS: Gabe, call us. You know where we are. PPS: KingPotatoVII please reach out, we've been trying to send you some swag for cracking the cipher a while back 🙂

I don't want to keep feeding OP's unhealthy arg paranoia, but I'm pretty confident this is a real company. The catch being if they really do know Gabe or he at least knows of this company and they are half life fans, it's entirely in the realm of possibility they are working with Valve on a legit arg. Not saying valve owns that company, in fact the opposite, but I also definitely believe an arg is still a very real possibility and something valve would do. They did call out Gabe after all.

TLDR: op is not paranoid but the company is real and working with Valve on an arg because they're fans of the half life series but they're still a bioengineering company IRL.

It's definitely a marketing campaign. The logo is literally the Black Mesa logo, and it has a picture of a headcrab on a scientist. I guess the team is releasing a new campaign or something.

There's going to be a real resonance cascade in Massachusetts.

Anyone know what the OldManMurray kids are up to these days?