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

Key members of Hopoo Games, creators of the acclaimed Risk of Rain series, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, have joined Valve. This significant move has shifted the landscape for both studios.

Hopoo Games Joins Valve: A New Chapter Begins

Project Snail Halted, Studio on Indefinite Hiatus

Hopoo Games announced on Twitter (now X) that several developers, including its co-founders, are transitioning to Valve. This decision puts the studio’s current projects, including the unannounced game "Snail," on hold. While the announcement doesn't explicitly state the move is permanent, Drummond and Morse's LinkedIn profiles still list their Hopoo Games affiliations. The studio expressed gratitude for its decade-long partnership with Valve and excitement for future collaborations, stating, "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'," concluding with, "sleep tight, Hopoo Games."

Founded in 2012, Hopoo Games rose to prominence with the original Risk of Rain, a captivating roguelike. Its success continued with the 2019 sequel, Risk of Rain 2. In 2022, the Risk of Rain IP was sold to Gearbox Software, which continues to develop the series, recently releasing the Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC. Despite some criticism of the DLC, Drummond voiced confidence in Gearbox’s direction for the franchise.

Valve's Deadlock and the Persistent Half-Life 3 Whispers

While neither Valve nor Hopoo has publicly revealed the Hopoo team's specific assignments, speculation is rife. Valve's current major project, the hero shooter Deadlock, remains in early access. However, the enduring rumors surrounding Half-Life 3 have intensified with this news.

Fueling the Half-Life 3 speculation is a recent, quickly retracted entry on a voice actor's portfolio mentioning a "Project White Sands" linked to Valve. This sparked considerable fan theories, with some suggesting a connection between "White Sands" and the long-awaited sequel, referencing the Black Mesa Research Facility's location in New Mexico, as featured in the Half-Life remake. Eurogamer highlighted the fan theories connecting “White Sands” to the potential Half-Life 3 development.