How Hytale Went From Cancellation to Massive Success

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Hytale began its development in 2015, so it took 11 years to go from its earliest stages to an Early Access release. The game was developed from Minecraft’s Hypixel server and funded by Riot Games, allowing the creation of an entirely new title inspired by Minecraft. Riot eventually bought the game and cancelled Hytale in June 2025, so as far as anyone knew, it was dead in the water and wasn’t coming back. Fortunately, the game’s founder, Simon “Hypixel” Collins-Laflamme, repurchased it from Riot and returned to development, leading to its eventual release in January 2026.

Hytale Rose From the Ashes to Dominate in Early Access

Image courtesy of Hypixel Studios

Hytale looks a lot like Minecraft because it’s meant to, and was inspired by, the procedurally generated sandbox game. Hytale isn’t as open as its inspiration; instead, it offers a procedurally generated fantasy world with minigames, different biomes, monsters, and dungeons. The minigames are similar to the ones found on the Hypixel server, so it’s not a massive departure from what Minecraft modders are familiar with. The game features RPG-style combat, dungeon exploration, bosses, and numerous mobs scattered throughout. It also features construction and crafting, modding, and features three separate versions.

These are Standard, Supporter, and Cursebreaker (Founder’s Edition). Hytale was not made available on Steam for Early Access, which Collins-Laflamme asserted was due to the game’s state at the time of release. The goal of the Early Access release is to have the “existing community” help to improve the game before it’s made available for a wider release on Steam. This is somewhat similar to how Minecraft made its way out of several phases of development before finally arriving as a commercial product, and it appears that Hytale is following suit. This will help to ensure that the game is ready on release day … whenever that might be.

When Hytale was finally released in Early Access more than 11 years after development began, it garnered over 2.8 million players at one time. The pre-purchase revenue generated was significant, helping fund the game’s further development beyond what was considered possible. The level of player interest suggests that Hytale will continue to attract more attention as development continues throughout its time in Early Access. It’s unsurprising that Hytale has received so much positive buzz, as it previously won the Most Anticipated and Best Upcoming Game at the Northern Ireland Game Awards and Indie Game Awards, respectively.

Hytale Early Access Indicates It Will Be the Game to Beat in 2026

Image courtesy of Hypixel Studios

Releasing a game in Early Access is an excellent way for a developer to gather both positive and negative feedback to help improve the game before its release. It’s also a fantastic method to generate much-needed funding to ensure development can continue, and from all indications, Hytale’s Early Access has been an astounding success. The game was slowly developed, bought by a major studio, cancelled, brought back to life by its creator, and given to the world to help shape into something new and entertaining that’s all but certain to become the next big thing. That’s a video game Cinderella story that doesn’t come around often.

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