Riot Games Archives

AppWizard

July 3, 2025

Reviving Hytale is such a risky proposition, its founder kind of “wants Riot to say no” to his offer for the Minecraft rival because it “makes no business sense”

Simon Collins-Laflamme, founder of Hytale and Hypixel Studios, is attempting to reacquire the canceled adventure game from Riot Games. He is concerned that this venture could complicate his life in the short term. Collins-Laflamme is gauging community interest in the project, stating that negative feedback would lead him to reconsider pursuing it. He also noted the technical limitations of Hytale's legacy engine, which is currently exclusive to PC and not suitable for cross-platform play. Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley, expressed openness to engaging with Hytale's revival if opportunities arise.

AppWizard

July 1, 2025

Stardew Valley creator plays down reports he could help resurrect cancelled Minecraft-like Hytale

Riot Games has decided to cease development on Hytale after more than a decade of effort. The game, which began development in 2015 by Hypixel, was intended to combine mini-games from its Minecraft server with an RPG-style sandbox experience. Despite initial excitement and Riot's acquisition of Hypixel in 2020, the project could not meet expectations, leading to unsuccessful attempts to find new investors and resulting in layoffs. Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, creator of Stardew Valley, clarified that he is not actively pursuing involvement in Hytale's revival, as he is focused on his current project, Haunted Chocolatier. Simon Collins-Laflamme, the original founder of Hypixel, has expressed interest in approaching Riot with a potential investment proposal to revive Hytale, while cautioning fans to manage their expectations regarding the project's future.

AppWizard

June 30, 2025

Betting companies can now sponsor Riot esports

Riot Games has allowed betting companies to sponsor its esports events, a decision made by John Needham, the president of publishing and esports, to create a more sustainable environment for professional gaming. This move responds to the existing prevalence of unregulated betting activities in the esports ecosystem. Riot is implementing "guardrails," including a vetting process for sponsors and integrity checks for teams, to maintain the sport's integrity. The change follows a demand from teams for a reevaluation of Riot's previous cautious stance on betting sponsorships. The esports betting market is growing, with a reported global betting turnover of .7 billion for League of Legends Esports and Valorant Champions Tour in 2024, although around 70% of bets are placed in unregulated markets.

AppWizard

June 29, 2025

OG Hytale founder confirms he “will reach out” to Riot Games about buying back the Minecraft rival: “The chances of revival are next to impossible… It’s the least I can do”

Simon Collins-Laflamme, founder of OG Hypixel Studios, intends to engage with Riot Games about reviving Hytale, a game previously canceled after generating significant anticipation and over 60 million views for its announcement trailer. Collins-Laflamme, who sold the studio and game to Riot, acknowledged the complexity of the revival process and indicated it would take months to get answers. Additionally, Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley, expressed a willingness to potentially intervene in the Hytale situation but emphasized the need to understand the reasons for the game's failure first.

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

Ex Hytale devs say the game looked “maximum 2 years away” from release in 2019 and “systems that were already far ahead of Minecraft” were changed under “unrealistic ambitions”

Simon Collins-Laflamme, founder of Hypixel Studios, expressed confidence in Hytale's potential and stated he would invest millions to complete the project. He suggested reducing the game's scope for a PC-only release and open-sourcing some components to expedite development. Collins-Laflamme reflected on his leadership from 2016 to 2019, claiming the game was two years away from release and that the team was highly productive. Former developers noted that an obsession with perfection and feature creep contributed to the game's cancellation. They suggested that an early version could have been launched, focusing on Hypixel-style minigames and a modding suite. Collins-Laflamme emphasized Hytale's unique qualities and the disappointment of its cancellation, urging fans to direct frustration towards internal issues at Hypixel Studios rather than Riot Games.

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

Stardew Valley’s ConcernedApe reportedly says he could “possibly” step in to save cancelled Minecraft-like Hytale, but he’d need to know “why it failed” first

Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone has shown tentative interest in investing to revive Hytale, which was recently canceled after years of development. He requires further information about the project's initial failures and future plans before making any commitments. Hytale garnered over 61 million views on its trailer and was acquired by Riot Games, which decided to halt the project due to the team's inability to realize its full potential. Simon Collins-Laflamme, the original founder of Hypixel Studios, has suggested a buy-back from Riot Games. During development, the Hytale team faced significant financial pressures, reportedly spending as much as 0,000 a month. Collins-Laflamme had turned down "way more money" before partnering with Riot.

AppWizard

June 27, 2025

Hypixel Considers Reacquiring Its Sandbox Hytale from Riot

Hypixel Studios has announced its closure and the cancellation of its game Hytale, which was still in development. The studio, part of Riot Games since 2020, has left fans disappointed. Discussions about Hypixel potentially reacquiring the rights to Hytale have emerged, but the studio's founder, Simon, indicated that this possibility seems unlikely due to financial challenges. He expressed a willingness to invest million of his own money to finish Hytale, reflecting his commitment to the project, though he acknowledged that this ambition is currently just a plan and would be a significant challenge to realize.

AppWizard

June 26, 2025

Microsoft’s Xbox PC launcher gets going with Steam, Epic, and other games showing up

Microsoft is testing a new aggregated gaming library within the Xbox app, which consolidates titles from various platforms like Steam, Battle.net, Ubisoft, Epic Games Store, and Riot Games. The Xbox app automatically identifies installed games on the PC, presenting them in an organized library with thumbnails and launcher names. Users can launch games directly or navigate to the original launcher, and there is an option to hide titles from various stores. This integration catalogs games without providing Xbox achievements or enhanced functionalities. Additionally, there are reports of "Xbox full-screen experience" settings appearing on existing ROG Ally devices, which are currently non-functional as Microsoft is testing this feature. Existing devices will eventually receive the full-screen Xbox experience. Users can access the new library by installing the Xbox test app through the Xbox Insider Hub and updating the Xbox app via the Microsoft Store.

AppWizard

June 25, 2025

“The issues were all internal”: Former Hytale dev says the Minecraft-inspired survival RPG’s cancelation has nothing to do with Riot: “The community should be angry at the mismanagement”

Hytale has been officially canceled, coinciding with the closure of its developer, Hypixel Studios. A former developer from Hypixel Studios attributed the game's cancellation to internal management issues rather than external pressures from parent company Riot Games. Hytale was announced in 2018 and garnered 61 million views on its trailer, aiming to compete with Minecraft. The future of the Hytale intellectual property remains uncertain, as it is still under Riot's control. The former developer expressed skepticism about the game's revival, noting that the original team had left or been let go.

AppWizard

June 25, 2025

Minecraft Competitor Hytale Shuts Down After a Decade of Development

Hypixel Studios has ceased development on its sandbox game, Hytale, due to insufficient financial support and challenges in aligning its vision with the evolving sandbox gaming landscape. The studio, founded in 2016 and acquired by Riot Games in 2020, faced difficulties despite a major overhaul of the game engine. Riot Games assisted in seeking additional investors but ultimately decided to halt the project, providing support to the team during the transition. The existing Hypixel Minecraft server will continue to operate independently. The announcement comes amid significant layoffs in the gaming industry, with over 10,500 jobs lost in 2023 and projections of an additional 14,600 in 2024.