Risk of Rain Devs Join Valve, Fueling Half-Life 3 Speculation

The gaming world is abuzz with exciting news as Hopoo Games, the creators behind the acclaimed Risk of Rain series, embark on a new journey. Key members of the studio, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, have joined forces with Valve, the legendary developers of Counter-Strike and Half-Life. This significant move has led to Hopoo Games taking an indefinite hiatus, putting their anticipated project, "Snail," on hold.

Hopoo Games Joins Valve's Game Development Efforts

In a recent announcement via a thread on X (formerly Twitter), Hopoo Games revealed that their developers, including Drummond and Morse, will be contributing to Valve's game development projects. While it's unclear if this transition is permanent, the co-founders' LinkedIn profiles indicate that Hopoo Games remains operational, with their roles at the studio still listed. "We're incredibly grateful to Valve for their partnerships in the last decade, and are excited to continue working on their awesome titles. However, this does mean that we are stopping production on our unannounced game, 'Snail'," the studio shared. The announcement concluded with a poignant, "sleep tight, Hopoo Games," signaling the pause on project Snail.

Since its inception in 2012 by Drummond and Morse, Hopoo Games has carved a niche with the release of Risk of Rain, a thrilling roguelike where players fight to escape a dangerous alien planet. The success continued with Risk of Rain 2 in 2019. In 2022, the studio sold the Risk of Rain IP to Gearbox, who have continued the series' legacy with the recent Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC. Despite some criticism, Drummond remains optimistic about Gearbox's stewardship, stating on X that "Gearbox is heading in the right direction."

Valve's Deadlock in Early Access While Rumors of Half-Life 3 Spark Up

Though specific details about what Hopoo's team will work on at Valve remain under wraps, Valve's current project, the MOBA hero shooter "Deadlock," is progressing through its early access phase. Additionally, the gaming community is rife with speculation about the potential development of Half-Life 3, fueled by the possibility that Hopoo Games might contribute to this long-awaited sequel.

Rumors about Half-Life 3 gained traction after a voice actor's portfolio was updated with a mention of "Project White Sands," a mysterious project linked to Valve. Although the entry was quickly removed, it reignited fan theories about the next installment in the Half-Life series. As reported by Eurogamer, fans have theorized that "white sand" could be connected to Half-Life 3, noting that "White Sands is a park in New Mexico," which ties into Black Mesa, a fan-made remake of Half-Life set in New Mexico's Black Mesa Research Facility, the setting for the original game.