In a dramatic turnaround that has reignited the hopes of millions of fans, Hytale is officially back from the dead. But its founder, Simon Collins-Laflamme, is issuing a starkly honest message to the community: manage your expectations.
The long-awaited, Minecraft-inspired RPG, which spent over a decade in development only to be cancelled by its corporate owner Riot Games in June 2025, has been personally rescued by Collins-Laflamme. In a move he admits is a massive financial gamble, the founder spent what reports indicate was ten times the market value to buy back both the game and Hypixel Studios.
The rescue mission culminated on November 17, when Collins-Laflamme announced on X that the acquisition was complete. The original Hytale website sprang back to life, featuring a triumphant blog post that declared, “HYTALE IS SAVED.” The post confirmed that 30 developers from the original team had already been re-hired, with a commitment to bringing back more.
However, the victory lap was short-lived. Just five days later, Collins-Laflamme took to social media again, not with celebratory screenshots, but with a sobering assessment of the game's current state.
A "Frankensteined" Engine and a Brutally Honest Assessment
"In the spirit of transparency that I promise to uphold, I need to be blunt," Collins-Laflamme wrote in a detailed X post on November 22. "When I say Hytale is not good enough, I genuinely mean it. It’s not some reverse psychology trick!"
He revealed that the studio has been forced to abandon the cross-platform engine it was building under Riot. In its place, the team has cobbled together what he describes as a "Frankensteined" mashup. This new foundation is a precarious blend of a four-year-old build and over 300 prototype branches, all hastily integrated over a matter of weeks.
The result, he admits, is a game that is far from polished. The current build offers "barely any game progression mechanics configured," a critical component for any RPG. Collins-Laflamme stated that the team is now focused on building a "long-term gameplay loop" from the ground up, with the primary goal of making the upcoming Early Access launch "somewhat enjoyable" rather than feature-complete.
A Price Focused on Community, Not Profit
Perhaps the most surprising revelation was the Early Access pricing structure. In a bid to prioritize community building over immediate profit, Hypixel Studios has set what Collins-Laflamme calls an "aggressively low" price point.
The Early Access will launch with three tiers:
- Base Edition: $20
- Premium Edition: $30 (includes cosmetic add-ons)
- Founder's Edition: $50 (includes exclusive cosmetic add-ons and other bonuses)
This strategy is a clear acknowledgment of the game's unfinished state and a plea for community trust. "I’m not going to recoup what I put into this game for a long time," Collins-Laflamme admitted, underscoring the personal financial risk he has undertaken.
He predicts that many players who jump into Early Access without context will declare Hytale "doomed." He is pleading with long-time fans to understand the unprecedented situation and help spread the word about the game's difficult journey back from cancellation.
"I hope that people who share the game will explain the situation we are in and how we got here," he wrote. "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."
This raw honesty marks a new chapter for Hytale—one defined not by corporate timelines, but by a founder's passion and a direct, no-frills relationship with the community that has waited so long to play it. The road ahead is undoubtedly long, but for the first time in years, it's a road the creators fully control.