Gearbox Software has purchased Risk of Rain, an IP that has thus far yielded two well-liked roguelikes, from previous owner Hopoo Games. As far as we can tell, the developer itself remains independent, and it sounds like Hopoo wants to move on and focus on its next project.
Over on the official Risk of Rain Twitter account, a tweet by Gearbox declares that the publisher has put in "years of passionate publishing work" on Risk of Rain 2. This has given Gearbox a "deep love and respect" for Risk of Rain, which the studio hopes to assist in continuing to bring "world-class content" for Risk of Rain 2, as well as for the future of the franchise.
So, what's the next step for Risk of Rain 2? Gearbox says it's hard at work bringing the Survivors of the Void DLC to consoles right now. Originally revealed in the 2021 roadmap, Survivors of the Void launched for PC in March this year and brought two new survivors in the Railgunner and the Void Fiend. It's currently only available for the PC version of the game.
Tantalizingly, Gearbox also says it's currently working on a "very special passion project" with Hopoo Games. The two studios say they'll be ready to reveal more details "soon", but that the project will be a "true love letter to the community". It's not clear whether they mean the Risk of Rain community in particular or whether this will be a brand new project for Hopoo, but either way, it sounds pretty exciting.
While this isn't technically an Embracer acquisition, the holding company is Gearbox's parent, so this Risk of Rain acquisition marks another string to Embracer's bow. Despite suffering a Dead Island 2 delay that knocked the game's release date back to April, Embracer has had a solid quarter, boosting sales significantly over last year thanks to strong showings for Saints Row and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
We'll bring you more on this Risk of Rain acquisition and what it might yield as soon as we get it. In the meantime, you can pick up Risk of Rain 2 right now on PC and consoles.
