Hytale is a sandbox adventure game similar to Minecraft. It mixes Minecraft-style building with RPG-inspired exploration, dungeons, and boss encounters. The game was designed to feel like a creator-focused platform with modding and community features at its core, closer in spirit to how Roblox encourages players to build and share.
Hytale began life at Hypixel, the team behind the world’s most popular Minecraft server. The game was announced in 2018 with a trailer that became a major viral hit. It pulled in 31 million views in its first month and now sits at more than 61 million.
How Hytale was brought back and what the revival includes
Simon Collins Laflamme, Hytale’s original creator, and co-founder Philippe Touchette made an offer to Riot to buy back Hytale and Hypixel Studios in a last attempt to revive the project.
They now own 100 percent of Hytale again, with Riot working directly with Simon to make the handover happen. Simon publicly thanked Riot on X, formerly Twitter, for its cooperation.
Huge thanks to Riot for working with me to make this happen. They wanted what’s best for players, and that’s for us to eventually play the game.This game has always been close to my heart, and I’m excited to bring it back home.Real talk: Hytale isn’t some polished AAA release…November 17, 2025
As part of this transition, the rebuilt cross-platform engine is being scrapped. The team is returning to the legacy engine, built in C# and Java, which allows them to focus on shipping a playable version of the game sooner. For now, the plan is to release on PC only, although other platforms are still possible in the future.
The first step is a Windows PC launch. Mac and Linux support is something the team hopes to attempt later, while consoles would come much further down the line. Early access will revolve around two main modes.
Exploration mode lets players roam a living world full of creatures and points of interest.
Creative mode gives players a space to build freely, similar to how creative tools work in Minecraft. The game will also support mods from day one, which aligns with the long-term goal of building a platform for creators.
Some features will not be there at the start. The game will first launch in early access, and official minigames and adventure mode are not planned for release day.
Key insights from an interview with Hytale’s creator
In an interview with AntVenom on YouTube, Simon explained why he originally sold Hytale in 2020. He said he had run out of personal money to fund development and did not want to take money from players while major engine and vision changes were still undecided.
Once the trailer went viral on YouTube, several companies made offers for the game. He chose Riot because he trusted it to look after the project and felt he was not the right person to lead it at the time.
On returning to the original vision, Simon said:
Going back to the original vision also means returning to a four-year-old build running on the same engine used for the trailer. That build was never meant to ship in a few weeks, so there’s a lot of cleanup and problem solving ahead.
Simon Collins Laflamme
He also set expectations for fans who have followed the game for years. He emphasised that there will be bugs, missing content, and a strong early access feel.
For now, the priority is to launch early access as soon as it is stable enough. After that, the team will focus on shaping the gameplay loop and long-term structure of the game.
The interview ends with a message to both sceptics and long-time supporters. To sceptics, he said trust has to be earned through results rather than promises, and that players can join whenever they feel the game deserves their time.
To long-term believers, he credited their messages and support as the reason he went all in on saving Hytale, saying the community “saved Hytale” in the end.
FAQ
When will Hytale release?
It's not currently known but a release date announcement is imminent according to the blog announcing that the game has been saved.
Why was the original 2018 Hytale trailer so ambitious
Simon said the trailer communicated the team’s vision and helped secure funding. He also said it was achievable, but the later engine rebuild added years of complexity.
Will early access of Hytale be polished?
No. Simon has been clear that early access will include bugs, missing content, and a generally rough feel. The team plans to update the game frequently after release.
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