"Risk of Rain Devs Join Valve, Sparking Half-Life 3 Speculations"

Hopoo Games, the studio renowned for the critically acclaimed Risk of Rain series, has embarked on a new journey as key members, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, transition to roles at Valve.

Hopoo Games Joins Valve's Game Development Efforts

Studio on Indefinite Hiatus, Project Snail Put on Hold

The team behind the beloved Risk of Rain series, Hopoo Games, has announced that several of its developers, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, will be shifting their focus to game development at Valve. This transition was shared via a thread on X (formerly Twitter), signaling a pause in Hopoo Games' ongoing projects, such as the highly anticipated game "Snail."

The nature of this move—whether permanent or temporary—remains uncertain. However, Drummond's and Morse's LinkedIn profiles indicate that they still hold positions at Hopoo Games, suggesting the studio's ongoing existence. In their announcement, Hopoo Games expressed gratitude towards Valve for their decade-long partnership and excitement about contributing to Valve's titles. Unfortunately, this shift means halting production on "Snail," with the studio's farewell message reading, "sleep tight, Hopoo Games."

Established in 2012 by Drummond and Morse, Hopoo Games gained recognition with the launch of Risk of Rain, a thrilling roguelike where players must escape an alien planet. The success continued with Risk of Rain 2 in 2019. In 2022, Hopoo Games sold the Risk of Rain intellectual property to Gearbox, which has since taken over development, including the recent Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC. Despite mixed reviews, Drummond remains optimistic about Gearbox's stewardship of the series, as he mentioned on X, "Gearbox is heading in the right direction."

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

While the specifics of what Hopoo Games will work on at Valve remain undisclosed, Valve's current high-profile project, the MOBA hero shooter "Deadlock," is progressing through its early access phase. Additionally, persistent rumors about the development of Half-Life 3 have led to speculation that Hopoo Games might be involved in this much-anticipated sequel.

The buzz around Half-Life 3 intensified following an update to a voice actor's portfolio, which briefly mentioned "Project White Sands" associated with Valve. Although the project was quickly removed, it reignited fan theories about the long-awaited sequel. As reported by Eurogamer, fans have theorized that "white sand" could be linked to Half-Life 3, pointing out that "White Sands is a park in New Mexico..." This connects to Black Mesa, a fan-made remake of Half-Life, set in the Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico, a pivotal location in the Half-Life series.