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

Half-Life 3 Speculations Reignite as Risk of Rain Devs Join Valve 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 joined Valve.

Hopoo Games' Transition to Valve

Projects Paused, "Snail" on Hold

Hopoo Games announced on Twitter (now X) that several developers, including its co-founders, are transitioning to Valve. This has resulted in a temporary halt to Hopoo Games' current projects, including the unannounced title "Snail."

While the nature of this transition remains unclear – whether temporary or permanent – Drummond and Morse's LinkedIn profiles still list their Hopoo Games roles. The studio expressed gratitude for its decade-long partnership with Valve and excitement for contributing to Valve's upcoming projects. However, the statement concluded with "sleep tight, Hopoo Games," confirming the suspension of "Snail's" development.

Half-Life 3 Speculations Reignite as Risk of Rain Devs Join Valve Founded in 2012, Hopoo Games achieved renown with the original Risk of Rain, a popular roguelike. Its 2019 sequel, Risk of Rain 2, further solidified their success. In 2022, Hopoo Games sold the Risk of Rain IP to Gearbox, who continue to develop the franchise (recently releasing the Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC). Drummond expressed confidence in Gearbox's future direction for the series.

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

Half-Life 3 Speculations Reignite as Risk of Rain Devs Join Valve While Valve hasn't revealed Hopoo Games' specific role, their current major project, the MOBA hero shooter "Deadlock," remains in early access. The news has, however, fueled existing speculation surrounding Half-Life 3.

This speculation was recently intensified by a voice actor briefly listing a Valve project, "Project White Sands," in their portfolio before its removal. This sparked fan theories connecting "White Sands" to Half-Life 3, drawing parallels between "White Sands" (a New Mexico park) and Black Mesa (the setting of Half-Life and its fan remake). Eurogamer reported on the fan theories and their connection to the long-awaited sequel.