Hytale’s Revival: A Return to Roots
In a surprising turn of events, Simon “Hypixel” Collins-Laflamme has announced that he has successfully regained the rights to Hytale from Riot Games, marking a significant shift in the game’s development trajectory. This news comes five months after Hypixel’s initial announcement regarding the studio’s closure and the halting of the highly anticipated game project.
Originally acquired by Riot Games in April 2020, Hytale faced challenges following a request for a change in its game engine. Collins-Laflamme revealed that the new ‘Cross-platform’ engine fell short in delivering essential gameplay features, projecting a timeline of at least two years to reach the same level of functionality as the original ‘Legacy’ engine. This realization prompted the studio to revert to its original vision, which aims to enhance the gaming experience while maintaining compatibility across platforms in the future.
With a renewed focus, Collins-Laflamme has already welcomed back over thirty developers from the Hypixel team, with plans for additional hires on the horizon. The announcement of an early access date is imminent, and while it promises to be relatively close, Collins-Laflamme has cautioned players that this release will be a true early access experience, complete with potential crashes, bugs, and incomplete features. The journey to a polished version 1.0 is anticipated to take “at least a few years.”
As it stands, Hytale boasts over 100 NPCs and a vast array of items and blocks, although many elements remain unrefined. Notably, the Adventure Mode and official minigames will not be available at the early access launch. The development team acknowledges the significance of these features in the original Hytale vision, yet they are committed to ensuring that the core game is stable before introducing such components. In the interim, the community is encouraged to create their own minigames, custom servers, and unique experiences. Once the official minigames are ready, their assets will be made available for community use, fostering a collaborative environment for creativity.
Collins-Laflamme emphasizes that modding will be a cornerstone of Hytale from the outset. The game is designed to allow extensive modifications, enabling players to alter both content and server-side elements. Even those without extensive technical knowledge will have the opportunity to craft impressive experiences. The development team plans to provide access to server source code within a few months, empowering users to create custom servers, maps, adventures, and more.
