Flashspoter - Hytale, the long–awaited sandbox-RPG game, officially returns to Hypixel Studios ' hands after being purchased from Riot Games. This decision revived a previously canceled project and closed its developer studio. Several industry media have confirmed the move and reported that the purchase operation was done personally by Hypixel co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme.
Hypixel Studios has started the process of hiring again with more than 30 ex-Hytale developers after the acquisition. They were previously involved from an early stage so understand the structure, direction, and needs of the game. The return of the core team is a positive signal considering that the project is almost at a complete standstill after Riot ceased operations a few months ago. Additional developers are also planned to return in the near future.
Hypixel Studios now operates independently with no external investors or publishers. Collins-Laflamme and his partner, Philippe Touchette, are committed to funding the development of Hytale over the next ten years. By using this kind of financial setup, they are able to have total control over the artistic side of the game and still keep it such that the future of the project is not dependent on the choices of big companies as it was earlier.
Riot Games resold Hytale because it considered the project difficult to continue in the form in which it existed at that time. After years of development, a growing vision and high technical ambitions make Hytale not visit the promised release stage in 2021. Riot said that this diversion was done so that the community would still have the opportunity to play a more realistic version of the game to complete.
During its time under Riot, Hytale underwent various major changes that stalled development, including engine migrations and efforts to expand features beyond the original plan. Now, Hypixel Studios has decided to return to the “Legacy” engine, an older version that is more stable and ready to play. This decision was taken to speed up the release of early access, rather than continuing the still immature cross-platform engine. Even so, they still plan to develop cross-platform capabilities in the future without rushing.
Hytale's initial release will focus on stability and basic experience. The early access version is planned to arrive sooner and will be announced in the coming days. In the first stage, the content available includes exploration and creative modes. Adventure and minigame modes will follow after the core system is running properly. The game will also come first on Windows, while the Linux and Mac versions are still experimental, and other platforms are scheduled to be much slower.
Like most early access games, the initial version of Hytale is expected to still present various shortcomings. The developer said that players could find bugs, placeholder content, and an unbalanced system. Periodic updates may cause some features to break or change. Nevertheless, modding is still the centre lead, for it gives the users the capability to make custom servers and content from the very beginning.
With the core team reassembled, long-term independent funding secured, and a renewed focus on the original vision of the development, Hytale now has a much clearer shot at a real release after years of postponements. The project is turning a new, brighter, albeit still very long, chapter. Hytale is in a more solid position now to carry on, one update at a time, with the hope of catching up with the community that has been waiting since the first announcement in 2018.
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