In what may come as a surprising bit of news, Gearbox hasannounced on Twitterthat it now owns theRisk of RainIP. This means that Gearbox will take the reins of development onRisk of Rain 2content as well as any future projects related to the franchise.
According to Gearbox’s statement, the company holds “a deep love and respect for the IP” and feels “eager to prove” itself by providing worthy content for the series. Currently, Gearbox is working on porting the Survivors of the Void DLC ofRisk of Rain 2to modern consoles. Hopoo Games, the original developer ofRisk of Rain,retweeted the statementand expressed that this will come as great news for fans. When responding to another user,Hopoo Games clarifiedthat the studio will remain independent.
What do fans make of this?
Fans initially expressed concern over this news, wondering if this means that Hopoo Games will no longer work onRisk of Rain 2. Indeed, on the officialRisk of Rain 2Discord server, community manager Jonathan Cheetham, also known as SeventeenUncles, confirmed that Hopoo Gameswill not participatein the development of newRisk of Rain 2content or any other installments in the series moving forward. Although this will inevitably disappoint some fans, Cheetham reassured that the people who work atGearboxgenuinely love theRisk ofRaingames and understand their core appeal.
Additionally, he stated that if Gearbox did not acquireRisk of Rain, then Hopoo Games would have likely “sat on the IP” without making any more content for it. With this in mind, Cheetham feels that fans should consider this news a positive development.
Notably, Gearbox’s statement also mentioned that it currently has “a very special passion project” in development with Hopoo Games that will serve as “a true love letter to the community.” Given what Cheetham has already stated about Hopoo’s future involvement withRisk of Rain, it seems that this project will not directly involve the IP even though Gearbox said it would appeal to theRisk of Raincommunity specifically. Alternatively, this project may not be a game per se, but still pay tribute to the series in some way.
Daniel Pinheiro
Daniel is a Contributing Writer who has been with PC Invasion since June 2021. A recipient of a master’s degree in Community Journalism from the University of Alabama, he holds a deep passion for the gaming medium and the impact it can have on our lives. He is open to all kinds of genres, but has a particular affinity for platformers and beat ‘em ups (or brawlers, or hack and slash, or character action, or whatever else you prefer to call them). In his spare time, he loves playing franchises like Mario, Kirby, Zelda, Tekken, and Devil May Cry. He also loves to travel and listen to multiple hours-long video essays back-to-back.
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