Hytale Cancelled as Developer Hypixel Studios Begins Winding Down

by
William D’Angelo
, posted 15 hours ago / 1,152 Views

Developer Hypixel Studios announced it has cancelled the sandbox game, Hytale, and the studio will be winding over the coming months.

Hypixel Studios was formed by developers from the Minecraft server Hypixel and began development on Hytale in 2015. The developer would be acquired by Riot Games in April 2020.

Read the announcement post below:

Hey Everyone,

Today, I shared some incredibly tough news with the Hypixel Studios team: we’re ending development on Hytale and beginning the process of winding down Hypixel Studios over the next few months.

This is not the outcome any of us – at Hypixel or at Riot – wanted. But after years of pushing forward, adapting, and exploring every possible path, it became clear we couldn’t bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.

Game development is brutally hard – especially when you’re trying to build something original that speaks to a creative, passionate community. Over time, as our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising. Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn’t as far along as it needed to be. It became clear we’d need a lot more time to get it to a place where it could support the ambitious vision for the game. 

We looked at reducing scope, adjusting timelines, and finding new angles to keep moving forward. But each of those options would have meant compromising on what made Hytale special in the first place. It wouldn’t have been the game we set out to make. And it wouldn’t have been the game you deserve.

This is a painful decision. We still believe in Hytale. We believe in the team, and are forever grateful to every member, past or present, who poured their love into the game. We’re also incredibly proud of the work we did: the world we imagined, the risks we took, and the heart we poured into this project. None of that can be taken away. And just to clarify – this doesn’t affect the Hypixel server on Minecraft. It’s run separately from Hypixel Studios and will continue to operate as usual.

We’re also deeply grateful to Riot – not just for the years of support and the opportunities they gave us, but for the care they’re showing our team during this transition. They supported us in going out into the world to see if there were investors or acquirers who could continue to help carry Hytale forward. And now, as we begin winding things down, they’re ensuring our team is supported with generous severance and resources to help them find what’s next. It’s not just thoughtful – it’s human. And it shows a genuine effort to take care of the people behind the work.

To our community: thank you. Your belief in Hytale kept us going through thick and thin. Your energy, creativity, and support inspired us to do the best work of our lives. Even though we won’t be the ones to bring this game into the world, we still believe in what it stood for and in the incredible potential of this genre.

Even though we’re closing this chapter, the spirit of Hytale and everything we hoped it could be will stay with us. We’re proud of what we built, and we’ll carry those lessons forward into whatever comes next.

With love and deep gratitude,

Noxy

Co-founder, Hypixel Studios

A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.

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