This is definitely a volatile time for Risk of Rain lovers. The new DLC for Risk of Rain 2, which represents the first launch in the series since it was taken over by Gearbox, has been roundly criticized. Now, the founders of Hopoo, the studio behind the first Risk of Rain and the base game and first DLC for RoR 2, have announced that they are shuttering the studio, canceling what would have been Hopoo’s next game, and joining Valve, which has just launched Deadlock and is currently rumored, more strongly than usual, to be working on Half-Life 3. Both of the Hopoo founders confirm they are joining Valve to work in game development, so perhaps something new and exciting is afoot.
A roguelike game with a super distinctive art style, the original Risk of Rain and its sequel are some of the most-loved examples of the genre from the last 15 years. In 2022, Hopoo sold the RoR intellectual property to Gearbox, the company behind looter FPS Borderlands – as previously reported, Gearbox’s first major Risk of Rain 2 effort, the new Seekers of the Storm DLC, is being sharply criticized on Steam. Now, Duncan Naoki Drummond and Paul Morse, co-founders of Hopoo, confirm they are closing the studio and moving to work at Valve alongside many of their colleagues.
“Today, we have an exciting update,” Hopoo says. “Duncan and Paul, alongside many other talented members at Hopoo Games, will now be working on game development directly at Valve Software. 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.’ It’s been an exciting and transformative 12 years. We feel lucky for the opportunities we’ve had, and deeply appreciate both our team and fans that have supported us and our games. We love making games – and will continue to do so, for years to come. We’re excited to be working side-by-side with the talented people at Valve. But for now, sleep tight, Hopoo Games.”
Most prominently, Valve is currently working on its new hero shooter Deadlock, but there are deep rumblings about Half-Life 3 – or at least something new in the Half-Life world. The tellingly named ‘Project White Sands’ was recently leaked and dataminers claim to have found evidence that Half-Life 3 is in active development, and potentially has been for some time. A new Half-Life game made in collaboration with the people behind Risk of Rain? That certainly sounds promising.
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