Hytale founder says "Frankensteined" Early Access is "not good enough" but it will still launch at $20

Hytale and Hypixel Studios founder Simon Collins-Laflamme tempered fan expectations about the long-awaited Minecraft-inspired RPG’s early access, stating that the project is far from polished despite personally investing time and resources into pulling it back from limbo.

Hytale initially began development in 2015 by developers from Minecraft’s Hypixel servers. After gaining significant traction, Riot purchased the studio outright in 2020. However, by June 23, 2025, after over a decade’s worth of development, Riot cancelled the project and closed Hypixel Studios.

After the project was cancelled, Collins-Laflamme announced that he was negotiating with Riot to acquire Hytale. It’s been reported that Collins-Laflamme spent ten times the estimated market value to reacquire the studio and the project.

On November 17, Collins-Laflamme announced on X that he had reacquired Hytale, with the original website returning. On the website, a blog post stated, “HYTALE IS SAVED,” further confirming he had re-hired 30 developers who had previously worked on the project and is determined to continue re-hiring. 

However, in a detailed X post on November 22, he said, “When I say Hytale is not good enough, I genuinely mean it. It’s not some reverse psychology trick!” Collins-Laflamme stated the studio was ditching its cross-platform engine for a “Frankensteined” mashup of a four-year-old build and over 300 prototype branches cobbled together over a span of weeks.

He detailed that the current build offers “barely any game progression mechanics configured.” But Hypixel Studios is working on a long-term gameplay loop to make the early access launch somewhat enjoyable for players.

Hypixel Studios announced pricing for Hytale’s Early Access: the base edition costs $20, which Collins-Laflamme calls “aggressively low,” to focus on community buy-in rather than profit, with premium editions offering add-ons like cosmetics for $30 and $50.

In further updates, Collins-Laflamme admitted, “I’m not going to recoup what I put into this game for a long time.” He predicts that many early access players will dub Hytale “doomed,” but he urged longtime fans to understand the project’s situation, stating:

I hope that people who share the game will explain the situation we are in and how we got here. The one thing I can promise is that the game is owned by someone who cares and understands the situation, and I will do my best to empower my team to make a great game, however long it takes.