Hopoo Games, the studio behind the snappy roguelike Risk Of Rain and its seductive 3D sequel Risk Of Rain 2, is closing up shop for a job at Valve. They are no longer working on a previously unannounced game called ‘Snail,’ developers say on XitterInstead, studio co-founders Paul Morse and Duncan Drummond (and “many other talented members”) are taking on game development roles for platform owners Steam.
“It’s been an exciting and transformative 12 years,” the creators say. “We feel fortunate for the opportunities we’ve had, and we deeply appreciate both our team and the fans who have supported us and our games.
“We love making games – and we will continue to do so for years to come. We are thrilled to be working side by side with the talented people at Valve. But for now – rest in peace, Hopoo Games.”
This isn’t the first time a diminutive indie team has been swallowed up by Valve’s cloudy collective mind, as our colleagues at Eurogamer report pay attentionFirewatch developer Campo Santo has effectively shelved its next adventure game In The Valley Of The Gods in favor of in-house development. Even though it still has a release date of, uh, December 2029.
Hopoo’s disbandment came as a result of the impoverished reception to the latest Risk of Rain 2 DLC. It should be noted, however, that Hopoo Games is no longer the series’ custodian, having sold the rights to Gearbox in 2022. And Drummond, for one, sympathized with the Gearbox development team currently working on the roguelike, saying that they “did the best they could with the time and resources they were given.”
We don’t know exactly what (ex) Hopoo will be working on. We know Valve is working on a multiplayer shooter called Deadlock, so that’s one possibility. Otherwise, there are probably other game ideas floating around the company, gaining or losing popularity depending on the unpredictable internal mental weather in Valve’s offices.
Working for the massive V has a reputation for secrecy, yes, but there have been plenty of looks at his unusual, non-hierarchical management structure. That includes video investigation by People Make Gamescompany handbook that was leaked in 2012 (which may be out of date now) and recently report from the marketing manager which was there in the early days of existence.
