Half-Life 3 Speculations Spark Again as Risk of Rain Original Devs Join Valve's Game Dev Team

The acclaimed Risk of Rain series developers, Hopoo Games, have made a significant move. Key team members, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, have transitioned to Valve.

Hopoo Games' Collaboration with Valve

Projects Paused, "Snail" on Hold

Hopoo Games announced via Twitter (X) that several developers, including its co-founders, are joining Valve. This collaboration temporarily halts Hopoo Games' current projects, including the unannounced title "Snail." While the nature of this collaboration – temporary or permanent – remains unclear, Drummond and Morse's LinkedIn profiles still list their Hopoo Games affiliations. The studio expressed gratitude for its past decade-long partnership with Valve and excitement for future projects. However, development on "Snail" is officially on hold.

Founded in 2012, Hopoo Games rose to prominence with the original Risk of Rain, a successful roguelike. The sequel, Risk of Rain 2, followed in 2019. In 2022, Hopoo Games sold the Risk of Rain IP to Gearbox, who continue to develop the series (most recently with the Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC). Despite some criticism of the DLC, Drummond expressed confidence in Gearbox's future plans.

Valve's "Deadlock" and the Half-Life 3 Speculation

While the specifics of Hopoo Games' work at Valve remain undisclosed, it coincides with Valve's ongoing "Deadlock" project (in early access) and persistent Half-Life 3 rumors. These rumors intensified after a voice actor's portfolio briefly mentioned a Valve project called "Project White Sands," before being quickly removed.

This sparked intense speculation, particularly among Eurogamer readers. Theories connect "White Sands" to Half-Life 3, referencing a New Mexico location potentially linked to Black Mesa, a key setting in the Half-Life series and its fan-made remake. The speculation remains just that, however, the timing of the Hopoo Games' move has certainly fueled the flames of anticipation.