Just as all hope for the game seemed lost, Hytale’s development suddenly resumed following its co-founder’s recent announcement.
As confirmed by the Hytale team and co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme, the once-cancelled sandbox game will resume development after the original developers reacquired it from Riot Games.
In an official blog post on the Hytale website, Simon explained that while it no longer made sense for Riot Games to continue developing Hytale in its current state, the team ultimately decided that handing the project back to its original creators was the best course of action, especially for fans who have been waiting seven years for its release.
After a series of negotiations and counteroffers, Simon and his team secured Riot’s approval, bringing Hytale back from the ashes. Simon confirmed that they have rehired at least 30 developers who are already familiar with the game and secured funding to keep Hytale alive for the next ten years.
What’s next for Hytale?
Simon made it clear that their priority for Hytale is to get the game playable as soon as possible, despite its current flaws and unpolished form.
The Hytale team is set to announce the game’s early access and pricing in a few days. It will initially launch on Windows, with plans to make it playable on Linux and Mac. Support for additional platforms is also in the works, though details are still forthcoming.
For Hytale’s initial features, it will contain exploration and creation modes, as well as some modding capabilities. Unfortunately, players won’t get access to minigames and adventure mode yet.
Simon also warned players to expect bugs, unbalanced content, and other issues during early access. While he acknowledges the risk, he believes that as the community grows, more players will help refine Hytale by reporting bugs and providing feedback.
Hytale’s full circle: From Hypixel to Riot and back to its original creators
Hytale is a sandbox game made by a team of developers who are involved in Hypixel, a popular Minecraft server. The game released a well-received game trailer in December 2018, which amassed a total of more than 61 million views in 2025.
Hytale quickly drew Riot Games’ attention, leading to funding support and a full acquisition in 2020. While Riot shared occasional updates over the years, fans grew frustrated by the lack of a demo or early access. Then, in a shocking move, Riot announced that due to numerous development challenges, it would cease operations on Hytale, effective June 2025.
In a daring move to save Hytale, Simon reached out to Riot Games in mid-August with an offer to purchase the game. Negotiations between the two sides continued for more than a month, until Simon and his team shared the exciting news in November that they had successfully convinced Riot to finalize a deal granting them full ownership of Hytale.
With all the latest events surrounding Hytale, fans are once again buzzing with excitement over the game’s return and the promise of early access and future updates.
