Hopoo Games is growing, and so is Risk of Rain 2. In a developer blog post today, the team announced three new members – doubling the core crew size – and gave release windows for the 2021 schedule.
As was already announced, Risk of Rain 2 will still get one more big update and ongoing support, but otherwise, it’s shifting to a paid expansion model to release “meaningful” new content that will “give RoR2 fans a reason to come back and support the game.” That’s what I want to hear for a roguelike.
The next step – the Anniversary update – is aiming for March 2021. It’ll include cut content “like the Grandparent boss,” new items and a new Survivor, profile stats, and improvements across the board.
Much later, in Q4 2021, the first paid expansion – “around two to three content updates in size” – will come out to “refresh the game for long-term fans.” An alternate final stage and final boss, another mode, new Elites, new music, and more Survivors, common foes, stages, and items are on the docket.
Another promising move: better support for modders, which is a gift that will keep on giving. “We’re also keeping an eye on our ever-growing modding community, and are making some internal changes (like moving away from fixed enum indices for content and more towards scriptable objects, investigating an engine upgrade) to work toward an easier and more sustainable modding environment for RoR2.”
The new faces at Hopoo Games are programmer Ben Schofield (who’s focusing on gameplay), Javid “Snonepe” (who’s on animation), and Nick Bizzozero (who’s working to keep Risk of Rain 2 an “engaging and visually slick experience” and previously cracked me up with the actually-fun Yo! Noid 2).
Hopoo struggled to find time and energy to hire during Early Access, but after “a bit of a breather,” the creators “knew that we’d eventually expand Hopoo Games to better support RoR2 long term.”
You can find the 2021 forecast below, but keep in mind, things are still “flexible.”
Dev Thoughts #19 – Risk of Rain 2 In 2021 [Steam]
Source: Destructoid Risk of Rain 2’s 2021 roadmap includes a paid expansion and a cut-content update