Published by the Hytale team — November 17, 2025
An exciting new chapter for Hytale begins today.
We are thrilled to announce that we have acquired Hytale from Riot Games . While Riot was no longer able to develop it as it should have been, in the end, they wanted what was best for the players: a revamped version of the game. We are grateful to them for making this possible.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve rehired more than 30 developers who know the game inside and out, and more are expected to return in the coming days. Together, we’re returning to Hytale’s original vision. We are now completely independent, and we personally commit to funding Hytale for the next ten years .
Transactions like this are rare in the video game industry. Thank you all for keeping hope alive.
Hytale is saved.
— Simon Collins-Laflamme, Founder, Hypixel
Key points (TL;DR)
- Early Access date : will be announced in the coming days.
- Platform: Windows at launch; Linux/Mac will be considered, other platforms later.
- Price: details will also be announced soon.
- Early access status: expect bugs, imperfections, unbalanced content, and frequent updates that may break things.
- Duration of early access: several years planned, without rushing to reach a “1.0” version.
- Contents at launch: Exploration Mode , Creative Mode , and Modding Tools .
- Not included at launch: mini-games and Adventure Mode will come later (a dedicated team is working on it).
- Ownership: Hytale is 100% owned by the current team (bought from Riot).
- Funding: 10-year personal commitment, without external investors or publishers .
- Game engine: return to the original engine (Legacy Engine) , as seen in the trailer, for faster development and immediate playability.
- Modding: available from launch; players will be able to launch their own servers and create custom content.
How did we get here?
On June 23, 2025, the announcement was made: the development of Hytale was stopping, and Hypixel Studios was going to close gradually.
Faced with the community’s overwhelming reaction, the team understood that action was necessary. Even though some of us hadn’t been involved with the project since 2020, Hytale and its community are very important to us.
We made an offer to Riot Games without knowing exactly what state the project was in. Aware of the enormous risks, we took the plunge: we negotiated, secured funding, and made the decision to return to the Legacy Engine and the original vision.
Why are we doing this?
We want to build the game we’ve always wanted to play—a game we’d be proud for our children to play too. Philippe (co-founder) and I are personally investing in this project for the next ten years. It’s a passion project, and we want it to last.
Start small, grow with the community
Our roadmap will evolve as we progress and as players test, provide feedback, and create content. What we have today is already different from what we had a few weeks ago. We remain agile and flexible, without making unrealistic promises.
We prioritize a good game over a perfect engine. We know there will be flaws at the beginning: it’s a risk, but a necessary one. We need you to create content, report bugs, and give your feedback.
Our initial priority:
- Polishing the living world, modding, core mechanics, the sandbox.
- When the systems are stable, we will move on to Adventure Mode and mini-games, to recreate the complete Hytale experience.
Current state of the game
- There were two engines in development :
- The Legacy Engine (C#/Java, PC only), already quite advanced 3–4 years ago — is the one from the trailer.
- A cross-platform engine (C++) that has progressed more slowly.
- The C++ engine is much less advanced for gameplay; it would take years to make it usable for early access.
- So, the decision has been made: to abandon the cross-platform engine for now, and return to the Legacy engine.
- Inside the game: over 100 NPCs , thousands of items and blocks , but many are not yet well balanced. Expect imbalances, bugs, and rough edges: it’s true early access.
- The official mini-games will not be available at launch . The infrastructure is not yet ready. Once the core gameplay is stable, a dedicated team will take over.
- In the meantime, the community will be able to create its own mini-games , servers, and adventures. We will share our resources and tools when the time is right.
- The team: intentionally small to avoid bureaucracy, act quickly, and make fluid decisions. This limits our ability to balance everything immediately, but it’s a choice.
Our team
Who is behind the relaunch?
- Simon Collins-Laflamme — co-founder, heavily involved, long-term vision, co-financing.
- Philippe Touchette — co-founder, financial management, acquisition structure.
- Kevin Carstens — technical lead, knows all the technical aspects of the game.
- Patrick Derbic — lead management, team coordination, execution.
We’ve already rehired over 30 developers who previously worked on Hytale. They understand the codebase, share the vision, and have chosen to return. We will continue hiring as budget and needs allow.
Modding: at the heart of the project
Modding is not just a simple feature: it’s the foundation . It’s essential for ensuring the game’s longevity.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Almost everything will be modifiable: content, servers, server-side or client-side.
- Even without a developer background, you can create impressive experiences. A few guides or videos will suffice.
- In a few months, we will provide access to the server source code , once the legal aspects are in place.
- Support for dedicated servers, data-driven content configuration.
- Backward compatibility considered: we are paying attention to this now so that the mods remain viable over time.
- You will be able to create your own servers, maps, adventures… and more.
What this means for you (the players)
We need your help to complete Hytale:
- Play the Early Access version , even if it’s still rough around the edges.
- Report bugs, give honest feedback.
- Create mods, create content.
- Be patient if things break down, and trust in the long-term vision.
- Share your knowledge, create guides, help the community grow.
This isn’t a finished product. It’s raw, sometimes broken, but with enormous potential. There will be frustrating moments… and magical moments.
For us, early access is a way to earn your trust , not to ask for it.
Where to find us
- Discord : This is where the community lives and works, where the developers are most active. Join us now via the following page on our website: https://hytale.game/discord
What will happen in the next few days
- Sharing gameplay footage and screenshots (unpolished, as they currently stand)
- Publication of very detailed patch notes to explain what we have recently improved/fixed.
- A blog post on modding capabilities and the corresponding roadmap.
- Information on pricing for the game editions.
- Many more regular updates and communication.
- Early access release date .
Last words
Hytale has had a long and complicated journey. Much longer than some hoped, and it has changed a lot.
But today, we’re starting from scratch with:
- an older version of the game (but the one from the trailer),
- a small, dedicated team,
- a community that never gave up,
- a readjusted but clear vision, adapted to the current reality.
It won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. It won’t be perfect.
But it will be up to us . Built together: one feature at a time, one bug fixed at a time, one mod at a time.
Hytale lives. Thank you all.
— The Hytale Team