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

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

Hopoo Games' Collaboration with Valve

Studio Temporarily Halts Projects

Hopoo Games announced via Twitter (now X) that several developers, including its co-founders, are joining Valve. This has resulted in a temporary suspension of Hopoo Games' current projects, including the unannounced title "Snail." While the nature of the collaboration remains undisclosed, both Drummond and Morse's LinkedIn profiles indicate their continued association with Hopoo Games. The studio expressed gratitude for its past decade-long partnership with Valve and excitement about contributing to their future projects. The statement concluded with a playful "sleep tight, Hopoo Games," signaling the pause in development.

Founded in 2012, Hopoo Games achieved recognition through the popular roguelike, Risk of Rain, and its sequel, Risk of Rain 2. In 2022, they sold the Risk of Rain IP to Gearbox Software. Drummond recently voiced his confidence in Gearbox's handling of the franchise, indicating a positive outlook on its future direction.

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

While Valve hasn't revealed the specifics of Hopoo Games' involvement, their current focus, the hero shooter "Deadlock," remains in early access. However, the news has fueled renewed speculation about a potential Half-Life 3. This speculation was amplified by a now-removed entry in a voice actor's portfolio mentioning a Valve project codenamed "Project White Sands." The removal only intensified fan theories, with some suggesting a connection between "White Sands" and Half-Life 3, drawing parallels to the Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico, a key location in the Half-Life series. Eurogamer reported on the fan theories, highlighting the potential link.