Risk of Rain 2 Early Access release is planned for early 2019

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Hopoo Games is getting ready to show us what it's got.

We got our first look at Risk of Rain 2 in late 2017, and our second in May of 2018. And that's been it until today's update from developer Hopoo Games that shares a long-awaited look at the state of things so far, and reveals the studio's plan for the upcoming Early Access release. 

Risk of Rain 2 will have melee classes, Hopoo confirmed, the first of them being the Mercenary from the original Risk of Rain. The developers opted to bring the character over because "his mobility dashes are fun in 3D, and guarantee that he can always reach air monsters." Mercenaries have been updated slightly to accommodate Risk of Rain 2's 3D environments (the first game was 2D), with three-hit combos for his basic air ability and "conditional behaviors depending on whether or not he executes his skill on the ground or in the air." 

"Every melee character will require a bit more love in RoR2 to make sure that they can function in this new environment, but we are very excited to have them in the game," the studio said. 

The current plan is to launch Risk of Rain 2 into Steam Early Access in early 2019, with three specific goals in mind: Building a community, "avoiding content drought," and collecting feedback from the player base. 

"While we always have a vision for the game, a lot of times players have fantastic ideas that can help propel the game from being good to fantastic," Hopoo wrote. "This is also our first ever 3D title, so we really need to collect feedback to make sure it matches everyone’s expectations of the game." 

For fans who want to stay on top of things, Risk of Rain 2 is now available for wishlisting on Steam. 

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.