Half-Life 3 Rumors Reignite as Devs Join Valve

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

Hopoo Games' Transition to Valve

Projects Paused, "Snail" on Hold

Hopoo Games announced via Twitter (now X) that several developers, including its co-founders, are joining Valve. This exciting development means a temporary halt to Hopoo Games' current projects, notably the upcoming title "Snail." While the nature of this transition—temporary or permanent—remains unclear, 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 about contributing to Valve's future projects. However, development of "Snail" is officially paused.

Established in 2012 by Drummond and Morse, Hopoo Games gained recognition with the original Risk of Rain, a successful roguelike action game. The studio followed up with Risk of Rain 2 in 2019. In 2022, Hopoo Games sold the Risk of Rain IP to Gearbox, which continues to develop the franchise, recently releasing the Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC. Despite some mixed reception to the DLC, Drummond expressed confidence in Gearbox's vision for the series.

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

Neither Valve nor Hopoo has revealed the specifics of the collaboration. However, Valve's current focus, the hero shooter Deadlock (currently in early access), and persistent rumors surrounding Half-Life 3, fuel speculation about the Hopoo Games team's involvement.

The recent, quickly retracted mention of a Valve project codenamed "Project White Sands" in a voice actor's portfolio reignited the Half-Life 3 hype. Eurogamer reported on fan theories connecting "White Sands" to Half-Life 3, citing a potential link to the Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico—a location prominent in the Half-Life series and its fan remake, Black Mesa. This adds fuel to the already burning flames of anticipation for a potential Half-Life 3 announcement.