It was intended to be a massive sandbox playground brimming with opportunities, but that vision is now at an end.
Irish development studio Hypixel had been developing the Minecraft alternative Hytale since 2015. The initial trailer received a remarkable 61 million views on YouTube, and in 2020, Riot Games, a financially robust partner, joined forces and acquired the studio.
Nevertheless, the studio is now shutting down and the development of Hytale has been halted. According to the developers, the promising venture was hindered by overly ambitious technical and content objectives.
“Game development is challenging.”
In a message on the game’s official website, the developers detail the conclusion of Hytale. The statement notes:
“We are ceasing development on Hytale and will start to wind down the studio over the next few months. […] None of us at Hypixel or Riot desired this result. But after years of pushing ahead, adjusting, and exploring every conceivable avenue, we understood that we couldn’t realize Hytale in a manner that truly fulfills its promise.”
The statement further indicates that they have come to understand that game development is challenging and that their aspirations were excessive for the team to manage. A particularly pivotal issue was the creation of their own engine, which, even after an internal reset, failed to achieve the necessary progress to advance the project.
According to the team, the aspiration was always to “create something unique that resonates with a creative, passionate community.” However, as development unfolded, the expectations became increasingly elevated. According to the developers, efforts to scale back the game’s scope or seek other compromises were unsuccessful or compromised the vision for the game.
Gratitude to Riot and fans
The announcement expresses nothing but admiration for publisher Riot, stating that they were not only an excellent partner during development but also a tremendous support for the team whose studio is now closing. However, the studio’s final gratitude is directed towards the community, who consistently believed in the potential of Hytale.
The project originated from a Minecraft server of the same name, where millions of players could engage in mini-games they had crafted themselves. Coincidentally, the server remains operational, even though the game Hytale itself has been discontinued. However, Hypixel as a studio will be entirely wound up and shut down in the coming months.