Several key members of Hopoo Games, the creators of the acclaimed Risk of Rain series, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, have joined Valve. This significant move has sparked renewed speculation about future Valve projects.
Hopoo Games' Transition to Valve
Projects Paused, "Snail" on Hold
Hopoo Games announced on Twitter (now X) that a portion of its development team, including its co-founders, are transitioning to Valve. This has resulted in a temporary halt to Hopoo Games' current projects, notably the unannounced title, "Snail." While the nature of this transition remains unclear – whether temporary or permanent – both Drummond and Morse's LinkedIn profiles still list their Hopoo Games affiliations. The studio expressed gratitude for its past decade of collaboration with Valve and excitement about contributing to future Valve titles.
Established in 2012, Hopoo Games achieved prominence with the original Risk of Rain, a successful roguelike. The studio later released the highly-regarded sequel, Risk of Rain 2, in 2019. In 2022, Hopoo Games sold the Risk of Rain intellectual property to Gearbox Software, which continues development of the franchise, recently releasing the Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC. Drummond expressed confidence in Gearbox's stewardship of the series.
Valve's "Deadlock" and the Half-Life 3 Speculation
Although neither Valve nor Hopoo has revealed specifics about the team's new assignments, the move fuels ongoing speculation about a potential Half-Life 3. Valve's current focus, the hero shooter Deadlock, remains in early access.
The speculation intensified recently when a voice actor briefly listed a mysterious "Project White Sands" linked to Valve in their portfolio before quickly removing it. This fueled fan theories connecting "White Sands" to Half-Life 3, citing the existence of a White Sands park in New Mexico, near the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility featured prominently in the Half-Life series. This connection was highlighted by Eurogamer.
The arrival of experienced developers from Hopoo Games at Valve adds further fuel to the already burning flames of anticipation for a potential Half-Life 3.
