Hypixel Reacquires Hytale From Riot and Restarts Development

Hypixel has regained full ownership of Hytale, acquiring the IP back from Riot Games months after the project was canceled and the studio was shut down. The company said it has rehired more than 30 former developers and restarted work on the long-running sandbox title.

Riot acquired Hypixel Studios in Apr. 2020, giving the team a larger budget and support structure as it pursued a planned 2021 launch. Hytale had drawn more than 2.5M beta sign-ups before years of technical changes and production challenges led to the project’s closure in June 2025. At the time, the studio said it could no longer “bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.”

Hypixel said it approached Riot with an offer to reacquire the game and secured funding to return to its legacy engine and original direction. Co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme described the restart as a “new and exciting chapter” and said Riot “wanted what’s best for players” by enabling the transition.

Hytale Early Access Roadmap and Rebuilt Team

The studio said it is committing funding “for the next 10 years,” with no outside investors or publishers involved. Hypixel plans to keep development “agile and flexible” as it prepares an early access launch, which will be announced soon for Windows.

Early access will include exploration mode, creative mode, and full modding support. Adventure mode and minigames will arrive later, with the latter handled by a dedicated group inside the team. The core staff now includes the two co-founders, technical lead Kevin Carstens, management lead Patrick Derbic, and a returning group of more than 30 developers.

In a closing note, the team said the restart means working with “a small dedicated team” and rebuilding the project “one feature at a time.” With control of the IP restored and a long-term plan in place, Hypixel aims to give Hytale a stable production path after years of uncertainty.