Gearbox Entertainment has purchased the Risk of Rain IP originally developed by Hopoo Games, which most recently released the Survivors of the Void DLC for Risk of Rain 2.
Hopoo and Gearbox announced the news in a joint statement (opens in new tab) posted to the Risk of Rain Twitter account, and Hopoo confirmed to GamesRadar that the sale is final. The amount the IP sold for has not been revealed. Gearbox Publishing published 2020’s Risk of Rain 2, and Gearbox Entertainment apparently liked the arrangement so much that it’s gobbled up the whole IP. Hopoo Games itself, however, will remain independent.
“After years of passionate publishing work on Risk of Rain 2, we have developed a deep love and respect for the IP,” Gearbox writes. “We are eager to prove ourselves as worthy custodians and ensuring a bright future for this genre-leading franchise.”
The sale of the IP has come as a surprise to many Risk of Rain fans given the series’ independent origins and history – the original game was made by Hopoo co-founders Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse back when they were college sophomores – but it’s no wonder Gearbox was eager to secure ownership after the success of Risk of Rain 2.
On Steam alone, Risk of Rain 2 is already the 44th best-reviewed and 51st most-reviewed game according to the Steam Top 250 (opens in new tab). The hit action roguelike has also seen great success on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. As Gearbox said in today’s statement, the Survivors of the Void DLC is coming to consoles soon, and I know from experience on PC (and from chatting with Hopoo earlier this year) that it’ll be worth the wait.
We’ve reached out to Hopoo for more details on the deal and what it means for Risk of Rain, and we’ll update our reporting if we hear back.
If you’ve still somehow missed the boat, Risk of Rain 2 is the best co-op game you aren’t playing.