Valve Sparks Half-Life 3 Rumors with New Devs from Risk of Rain

Hopoo Games, renowned for the critically acclaimed Risk of Rain series, has embarked on a new journey as several key team members, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, have transitioned to roles at Valve. This move marks a significant shift for the studio, which has now put its ongoing projects, including the announced game "Snail," on an indefinite hiatus.

Hopoo Games Joins Valve's Game Development Efforts

Studio on Indefinite Hiatus, Project Snail Put on Hold

In a recent announcement on Twitter (X), Hopoo Games revealed that several of its developers, including co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse, will be joining Valve, the powerhouse behind iconic titles like Counter-Strike and Half-Life. This transition has temporarily halted Hopoo Games' current projects, notably their unannounced game "Snail." While the studio's future remains uncertain, Drummond's and Morse's LinkedIn profiles suggest that Hopoo Games is not shutting down entirely, with their roles at the studio still listed.

Expressing gratitude towards Valve for their partnership over the past decade, Hopoo Games stated, "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'." The announcement concluded with a poignant message, "sleep tight, Hopoo Games," signaling the pause on project Snail.

Founded in 2012 by Drummond and Morse, Hopoo Games first gained acclaim with the release of Risk of Rain, an action-packed roguelike that challenges players to escape a hostile alien planet. The sequel, Risk of Rain 2, followed in 2019. In 2022, Hopoo Games sold the Risk of Rain IP to Gearbox, which has since continued the series' development, including the recent Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm DLC. Despite some criticism of the DLC, Drummond expressed confidence in Gearbox's direction on Twitter (X), stating, "Gearbox is heading in the right direction."

Valve's Deadlock in Early Access While Rumors of Half-Life 3 Spark Up

Although neither Valve nor Hopoo Games has disclosed specific details about the new collaboration, Valve's current high-profile project, the MOBA hero shooter "Deadlock," remains in its early access phase. Moreover, the move has fueled speculation about the potential development of Half-Life 3, with rumors suggesting that Hopoo Games might contribute to this long-awaited sequel.

Rumors about Half-Life 3 have been reignited by a recent update to a voice actor's portfolio, which mentioned a mysterious "Project White Sands" linked to Valve. Although the project was quickly removed, it sparked fan theories about the connection to Half-Life 3. As reported by Eurogamer, fans have speculated that "white sand" might relate to Half-Life 3, noting that "White Sands is a park in New Mexico..." This ties into the Black Mesa Research Facility, located in New Mexico, which is central to the Half-Life series and the fan-made remake, Black Mesa.