Hytale’s Wild Journey From Cancellation To Comeback
Hytale has had one of the most dramatic development stories in recent PC gaming history. What started as a hugely hyped sandbox project back in 2015 almost vanished completely, only to be dragged back from the brink by its original creators.
Development on Hytale began in 2015 with backing from Riot Games. Hype exploded early, especially after its cinematic announcement trailer racked up over 62 million views on YouTube. Expectations were sky high and many players were ready to treat it as the next big PC sandbox phenomenon.
Riot Games believed in the project strongly enough to acquire the Hypixel team outright in 2020. At that point Hytale looked like a locked in success story. But behind the scenes things were not going smoothly. Years passed, release targets slipped, and internally the game struggled to become properly playable.
Eventually Riot pulled the plug. After roughly five years under Riot’s wing the project was effectively shelved. For a lot of fans, that looked like the end of Hytale. A game that was originally intended to launch around 2021 had gone completely off the rails.
The twist came in November 2025 when Hytale was revived by its original founders. Simon Collins Laflamme and co founder Philippe Touchette returned, took back ownership, and started rebuilding the team. According to Collins Laflamme, the version of Hytale that came back to them after years inside Riot was “barely playable” and needed serious work. But they were determined to salvage it rather than let the idea die.
Fast forward to now and Hytale is finally releasing into early access on PC, with the developers expecting over one million players to show up at launch. For a project that spent years in limbo, that level of interest is huge.
How Pre Purchases Just Funded Two Years Of Development
On the eve of launch, Hypixel’s founder Simon Collins Laflamme shared a major update that completely changes the outlook for Hytale’s future. Thanks to early access pre purchases, the team has already secured funding for the next two years of development.
In his words, they have “officially secured the next two years of development costs through pre purchases.” That is a big deal for a studio that has grown to over 50 developers, many of them former Hytale devs who were rehired after the revival.
Even more surprising is the price point. The early access version of Hytale starts at 20 dollars. Collins Laflamme has said that charging more “did not feel right” given the current state of the game. He openly admits he does not think the game is truly good yet but believes in pushing hard with the team to make it good and eventually great.
This approach is very different from some premium early access launches that ask for a full price tag right away. By going with a more accessible entry price, the Hytale team seems to be banking on volume, goodwill, and long term community support. The gamble appears to be working so far, with enough players willing to buy in early to cover multiple years of further development.
On top of that, Collins Laflamme has made a personal commitment to support Hytale for the next ten years regardless of how things go. When he talks about his “personal commitment” he is referring to that decade long promise, as well as the fact that he initially co funded the project alongside Philippe Touchette. It is a bold stance and honestly a risky one, but the early access success means his dedication may not need to be tested to the limit.
The combination of strong pre purchase numbers plus a founder publicly locking in for ten years sends a clear message to PC players: this game is not going to disappear overnight. For anyone thinking about investing time into a long term sandbox world, that kind of stability matters.
What To Expect From Hytale’s Early Access On PC
Hytale is often described as a Minecraft inspired voxel sandbox, but the team has been clear that the early access version is not the full realization of their original vision yet. Even so, there is already plenty for PC players to dig into.
The current build focuses heavily on two pillars:
- Survival crafting gameplay that will feel immediately familiar to fans of block based sandbox games
- Creative tools that let players build, experiment, and even twist the game into totally new genres
One of the most eye catching examples so far is a developer using Hytale’s creative toolkit to make a homebrew side scroller entirely inside the game. Instead of sticking only to the usual survival sandbox formula, Hytale is trying to become more of a platform for different kinds of experiences. That should be exciting for modders, server owners, and creative players who like to bend games into their own shapes.
For everyone else, the core loop of exploring, building, and surviving in a stylized voxel world is very much present. The early access version is meant to give players a solid foundation while leaving lots of room for growth. The team has made it clear that what we are getting now is only a slice of where they want to take the game over the next several years.
With over one million expected players at launch, a secured runway of at least two years of development, and a founder personally locked in for a decade, Hytale is entering early access in a surprisingly strong position considering everything it has been through.
If you enjoy PC sandboxes, survival crafting, or just want to see how far a community can push powerful creation tools, Hytale’s early access era might be worth watching closely. The game has already survived cancellation, ownership changes, and a rough internal reboot. Now it finally has the chance to prove itself in the hands of players.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/after-a-tumultuous-7-years-hytale-has-officially-secured-the-next-two-years-of-development-costs-a-day-before-launch-thank-you-all-for-the-support-hytale-is-saved-we-are-almost-home/
