Vivendi Universal Games is expected to formally announce a November 26th release date for Half-Life 2 in Europe shortly, along with a US release three days earlier, after informing UK retail partners of the date this week.
Valve delivered a release candidate to VU on September 15th, and although an official 'Gold' announcement has still yet to emerge, retail sources in the UK indicate that they have now been given notice of the expected late November date.
News source: GamesIndustry.biz