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Hytale
Genre: Survival-RPG
Studio: Hypixel Studios
Publisher: Hypixel Studios
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Genre: Survival-RPG
Studio: Hypixel Studios
Publisher: Hypixel Studios
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Hytale History

Hytale is a voxel-based sandbox RPG by Hypixel Studios. What makes it special isn’t just the ‘blocks + RPG’ pitch, but the development saga behind it: a project born from Minecraft server builders, supercharged by viral hype, reshaped under Riot, cancelled and then brought back by its original founders – ending in an Early Access launch on January 13, 2026. The Hytale history is long and at parts complicated but at the same time it is a symbol of dedication.

Overview Hytale History:

A Short Hytale History: Timeline at a Glance

Ten years of development mean there’s a lot happening, being done and undone again. So, before we get into the details of each milestone along the way, here is a short overview of the Hytale history.

DateMilestoneImportance
2015 – 2020initial developmentMinecraft’s limits are hit; shift from modding server to own game DNA
2020 – 2025Riot Games eraRiot acquires Hypixel Studios
2025founders repurchase Hytaledevelopment ends but founders are still loyal to the game and eager to publish
2026 and ongoingEarly AccessHytale is published in Early Access; developers continue programming

2015 – 2020: Hytale Origins – From Minecraft Server to Hypixel Studio

Hytale’s roots sit in a very specific corner of gaming: the Hypixel Network, where builders, modders and minigame designers were effectively stress-testing what ‘Minecraft as a platform’ could do. By 2015, the team had started working on something standalone. It was still block-based, but built from day one for deeper RPG systems, custom content and creator tooling.

What pushed them from ‘let’s keep expanding the server’ to ‘we need our own game’ wasn’t just performance or engine friction. It was also the reality that a Minecraft server is always operating inside someone else’s rules.

The ‘Rules Ceiling’: What the EULA and Guidelines don’t Let You Do

As ambitious as a big server can be, it is still bound by Minecraft’s legal and ecosystem constraints. On June 12, 2014 Mojang posted a statement laying out what servers could and couldn’t sell (donations OK, cosmetics OK, gameplay advantages not OK). This is the moment most of the community started treating it as ‘the rules just dropped’:

  • You can’t ship your own modified Minecraft client/server as ‘the game’. Mojang’s EULA allows mods, but explicitly says you may not distribute ‘Modded Versions’ of the game/software. That means your most radical ideas can’t become a clean, official, one-click experience for everyone. They have to live as plugins, workarounds, and server-side systems.
  • Monetization is restricted and subjective by design. Mojang’s monetization rules evolved into a ‘no competitive advantage’ standard for server sales and Mojang reserves the right to interpret whether monetization aligns with their brand and player experience. That creates constant pressure to design shops around what’s allowed, not just what fits your game design.
  • Permissions can change. The EULA points out that the ‘extra permissions’ in the usage guidelines can change or be withdrawn, even without notice. For a project with long-term plans, that’s a business risk on top of a technical one.

So while Hypixel could build impressive worlds and minigames inside Minecraft, there was a hard ceiling on how ‘game-like’ the experience could become. If you want a true RPG sandbox with native tools for creators, your own engine decisions and rules you control end-to-end, at some point you stop stretching the platform and start building the platform.

December 2018: The Hytale Trailer That Lit the Fuse

On December 13, 2018, the announcement trailer released – and the internet did what it always does to a block game with ambition: it immediately started asking whether this was the ‘next Minecraft’.

Two things happened at once:

  1. Hype exploded: the trailer crossed ~30M views in under a month (and kept climbing for years)
  2. expectations locked in early: ‘the 2018 trailer vision’ became a reference point the project would be compared against; even after years of internal change

2020 – 2025: The Riot Games Era

Riot Games completed its acquisition of Hypixel Studios on April 16, 2020, but Riot wasn’t a random outsider showing up at the finish line. It had already been involved earlier as part of Hypixel Studios’ angel investor and advisory group and had been advising the team for roughly 18 months before the deal.

From Riot’s perspective, the acquisition was about backing a team they considered ‘visionaries’ in the block-game space and taking the partnership ‘to the next level’ so they could support development and growth. Hypixel Studios also said Riot was the right partner to help them deliver a game that could live up to the expectations created by the 2018 trailer hype.

From Hypixel Studios’ perspective, the deal solved a very practical problem: scale. In their own announcement, they emphasized that they would remain an independent studio, but gain a bigger budget, more security and advisory support from a company experienced in launching and operating long-running live games. They also clarified that this did not affect the Hypixel Minecraft server, since the acquisition applied to Hypixel Studios only.

What Changed in the Hytale History After Riot Came in

The impact wasn’t ‘Riot took over the design’ so much as ‘the project started aiming bigger’:

  • hiring and expansion accelerated, including plans for additional operations and QA capacity
  • long-term goal shifted toward a launch strategy that could support a huge, diverse playerbase without fragmenting it
  • 2022 engine rewrite decision that moving to a C++ client/server would make multi-platform releases easier and help avoid splitting the community by platform

So the upside was real: resources, runway and the kind of publishing experience that helps games survive launch day and the years after. The downside was more subtle but important: once Hytale had AAA backing and a ‘for everyone, everywhere’ target, the project’s scope naturally expanded and the technical decisions started optimizing for the long game, not the fastest path to a playable release.

2022 – 2024: The Engine Rewrite and the ‘Lost Years’

In the Summer 2022 development update, the team announced a major technical pivot: redeveloping both client and server in C++, moving away from the previous Java/C# direction. They framed the rewrite as necessary for:

  • multi-platform release without fragmenting the playerbase
  • performance gains
  • long-term maintainability and patching

The question is what it cost. Even when the tech gets ‘better’, rewrites do one brutal thing: they move progress from playable content back into infrastructure. By the time the project later changed hands again, the newer engine existed – but the path to a shippable game had become unclear enough that Riot eventually stopped.

2025: Cancellation

On June 23, 2025, it was announced that Hytale’s development was ending and Hypixel Studios would wind down. The reason given publicly: the project couldn’t meet expectations in a reasonable timeframe.

2025: Hytale History Breakthrough – The Revival

After fans have been awaiting Hytale eagerly for years, the announcement of it being cancelled was a real setback. For the founders, this was actually also the case. They weren’t ready to let Hytale go and let a project they started with dedication go down. That was the moment “Hytale is Saved!” became a prominent headline online.

On November 17, 2025, founders Simon Collins-Laflamme and Philippe Touchette announced they had repurchased Hytale from Riot Games, rehired developers and committed personal funding for the next 10 years – no new publisher, no external investors.

Crucially, they also announced the strategic reversal:

  1. return to the legacy engine/build associated with the trailer era (2018)
  2. ship Hytale Early Access sooner, accept rough edges, iterate with the community
Explore new Hytale worlds
Beautiful biomes have always been part of the Hytale history
Enjoy RPG moments

2026: Hytale Early Access Launch

The hard work was worth it. Developers started working on the 2018 version of the game again, meaning a version that was several years old. Finally, Hytale entered Early Access on January 13, 2026. The launch message was blunt about what players were getting: a real early access build – unfinished, buggy, but finally playable.

What players got in Hytale Early Access:

  • exploration and creative mode (the latter with in-game and standalone tooling)
  • support for modding
  • multiplayer support for all modes

Still, after years of expectations, there are things missing. Eight weeks isn’t nearly enough time to include all that the developers dream the game to be. Players know that this version of Hytale is not the final version. There is more to come in the future, namely:

  • adventure mode with a real story and deeper progression
  • minigames
  • default spawn
  • certain social features for a real multiplayer RPG feeling

January 2026: Post-Launch Updates

Hypixel Studios moved immediately into ‘patch like your reputation depends on it’ mode. Initial bugs were fixed within days and just a few days after release the first update brought new content into the game.

Hotfixes (Jan 13–15) – Early hotfixes addressed launch blockers, including:

  • the ‘Norway Bug’ preventing launch in Norway
  • crashes tied to character creation and even bucket usage

Update 1 (Jan 17) – The first content update included:

  • dinosaurs added to the underground jungle (Zone 4)
  • reduced grind for crafting backpacks (progression pacing tweak)

Developers work eagerly to achieve their goal: Hytale as they imagined it releasing the trailer in 2018.

FAQ

Who created Hytale?

Hytale was created by Hypixel Studios, a company that originated from the Hypixel Minecraft server and modding community.

Who owns Hytale?

Over the years different studios owned Hytale. Since November 17, 2025 it is back in the hands of founders Simon Collins-Laflamme and Philippe Touchette.

Will there be a continuing development for Hytale?

Yes, this isn’t the end of the Hytale history. Even before Early Access, due to pre-purchases, Hypixel Studios earned enough money to announce the continuing development for several years.

Why does the ‘legacy build’ matter so much?

Because it was the fastest route back to something playable. The founders explicitly chose the trailer-era engine/build so the community could get hands-on sooner, even if it meant rough edges and missing features.

When did Riot Games buy Hytale?

Riot Games officially acquired Hypixel Studios and therefore Hytale on April 16, 2020.

Will Hytale be on Steam?

Not initially. The studio said they want Early Access feedback primarily from an informed community and also noted Steam currently doesn’t support some of Hytale’s modding features.

Is there a console or mobile version?

Not for Early Access. Console is ‘later-stage’, mobile is not planned for Early Access. Mac/Linux for Early Access were still described as TBD in the official FAQ (with Windows as the guaranteed starting point).

From ‘When Release?’ to ‘Okay, It’s Real’

Hytale’s history reads like a game development myth: born from a Minecraft server that kept running into ceilings, rocketed into the spotlight, got reshaped by big-company ambitions, then hit the kind of wall most projects don’t come back from. And yet it did.

Early Access in January 2026 isn’t a neat ‘happily ever after’. It’s the point where the story finally stops being trailer-time and starts being patch notes, experiments, community builds and the very public process of turning a revived legacy vision into a long-term platform. In other words: the world isn’t finished, the questline isn’t complete, and the next chapters depend on what the developers ship and what players create. Anyways, you can be part of the ongoing Hytale history, playing on your own Hytale server from GPORTAL.

So if you’re here for a tidy ending, Hytale refuses. This is a respawn point, not credits.

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