TF2012 + Analysis!

So, the TF2 team has posted a big teaser for this year's TF2 updates on the official blog. Let's break it down, shall we?

 Top secret. What's this? Well, from the blog post, we know that it's not a hat and it's not a map. Neither is it an "ungodly hat-map hybrid that you can wear on your head while you run around in it". I think it's also safe to assume that the top secret project is not a single item, weapon or cosmetic, and it's probably not a class update, since they would've just said that. It's not Meet the Pyro, anything related to the Workshop, or the Saxxies, because those are all mentioned further down.


So where does that leave us?

I think we're most likely looking at a new game mode, given the robot teasers hidden in the most recent Valve map, CP_Foundry. It could be the long-teased raid mode, which seems most probable. It could also be some sort of co-op survival mode, with one team fighting robots. That seems less likely.

Maybe it's the Source Filmmaker that's been promised for ages, which would allow us to make movies with all Source games. I don't think this is the top secret project, since it's not TF2-specific.

The only other real possibility for something big enough to tease as a major top-secret update is the 10th class, but Valve has assured us for years that that won't happen.

...right?

Steam Workshop blog. That's pretty cool. Along with a couple of convenient organizational views, we'll also get periodic updates on what's going on with the Workshop, which is now expanding significantly to include more games than just TF2 (the first of which is Skyrim). In terms of TF2 news, hopefully we'll get posts on promising, popular items, or maybe get to vote more specifically on the next item to be added to the game.

There's really very little information to go on here, so we'll have to see what comes up. Most likely we'll see greater mod support for more and more Steam games over time.

Meet the Pyro, sometime this year! Finally! Given how the Saxxies and Meet the Pyro are cross-referenced several times, I think we'll probably see the new short around the time of the second annual Saxxy update. Last year the whole process started in May and ended in early June, so it's reasonable to assume that the dates will be similar this year.

As a side note, the blog refers to Meet the Pyro as "the last Meet the Team short". Are they just referring to the last vacant slot, or does this mean that Valve will be done with TF2 shorts after Meet the Pyro comes out? I'm hoping it's the former.

And finally, the second annual Saxxy Awards. There's nothing to indicate that there will be much difference from last year's event, so we'll probably see more of that. Although I hope they don't add more YouTube achievements, it's tough enough for most players to earn even 100 views legitimately on something as niche as a TF2 video.

So, what do you all think? Anything I missed? What do you think the Top Secret Project is? Let me know in the comments!