Hytale has had one of the wildest development stories in gaming history. Announced in 2018, acquired by Riot Games in 2020, delayed repeatedly for years, cancelled in June 2025, bought back by its original creator in November 2025, and now launching into early access on January 13, 2026. But according to Simon Collins-Laflamme, the founder who personally funded Hytale’s resurrection, we’re lucky the game exists at all. In a recent post on X, he revealed just how broken Hytale was when he got it back – and why salvaging it was “a damn miracle.”
How Broken Was It
“It’s a damn miracle we were able to salvage Hytale,” Collins-Laflamme wrote. “It was barely playable. All basics were broken. Camera, movement, combat, crafting, building, gameloop, sounds, rendering. Everything, everything was wrong.” That’s not hyperbole – he’s describing a game that, after nearly seven years of development under Riot, couldn’t even handle fundamental systems that most games nail in their first prototype.
Collins-Laflamme explained that Riot spent four years rebuilding Hytale’s engine, a foundation the new independent Hypixel Studios isn’t even using. That means those four years of engineering work left behind an equal number of accumulated issues that needed fixing. “When you don’t invest in gameplay, you don’t just lose time,” he added. “You lose momentum.” And Hytale had completely lost its momentum under Riot’s watch.
The Weeks That Should Have Been Years
Here’s where the miracle part comes in. Collins-Laflamme revealed that fixing Hytale “should have taken years to fix, but within weeks, we got the game into a playable, fun state.” Think about that – the 30-plus developers he rehired, many of whom had worked on Hytale before Riot shut it down, managed to salvage a fundamentally broken game in a matter of weeks. That’s either incredible efficiency or proof that Riot’s approach was so misguided that simply returning to the original vision immediately solved problems.
The contrast is stark. Under Riot, Hytale underwent massive scope expansions, multiple engine rewrites, years of delays, and eventually cancellation because the team couldn’t figure out how to ship the game. Under Collins-Laflamme’s leadership, with fewer resources but clearer direction, they got it playable in weeks. That’s not just a development miracle – it’s an indictment of how badly Riot mismanaged the project.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 2018 | Hytale announced, trailer gets 60+ million views |
| April 2020 | Riot Games acquires Hypixel Studios |
| 2021-2025 | Repeated delays, engine rewrites, scope creep |
| June 23, 2025 | Riot cancels Hytale, shuts down Hypixel Studios |
| November 17, 2025 | Collins-Laflamme reacquires Hytale from Riot |
| November-December 2025 | Team salvages game in “weeks” |
| January 13, 2026 | Hytale launches into early access |
The Full Story of Hytale’s Collapse
To understand why Hytale needed saving, you need to understand how it fell apart. When the game was announced in December 2018, it exploded – 2.5 million beta signups, 61 million YouTube views on the trailer, massive hype across the Minecraft community. Hypixel Studios, founded by Collins-Laflamme and Philippe Touchette based on their experience running one of Minecraft’s most popular servers, seemed perfectly positioned to deliver.
Riot invested in 2018 and acquired the studio outright in 2020, supposedly to provide the resources needed to finish the game. Instead, problems multiplied. The game’s scope expanded dramatically. Former developers have talked about “unrealistic ambitions” from higher-ups and the project shifting from a PC-only release to a cross-platform live service title. An engine rewrite consumed years. The originally planned 2021 early access release never materialized.
Burning Money at an Alarming Rate
Collins-Laflamme previously revealed he was “burning” up to $400,000 per month on Hytale’s development at one point before the Riot acquisition. Even with Riot’s funding, the project couldn’t find direction. Multiple former developers have stated the problems were internal – poor management, constantly changing vision, technical overhauls that solved nothing. Riot tried to find other investors or acquirers to continue the project before ultimately canceling it in June 2025.
When the cancellation was announced, Noxy (Aaron Donaghey), who served as CEO under Riot, wrote that “our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising.” Translation: mission creep killed the project. They kept adding features, rebuilding systems, and chasing trends instead of finishing the game they’d promised in 2018.
The Buyback and Resurrection
Less than two weeks after the cancellation, Collins-Laflamme announced he was in negotiations to buy Hytale back. He reportedly offered up to $25 million of his own money – presumably profits from selling to Riot in the first place – to reclaim the project. In November 2025, the deal closed. Riot confirmed they evaluated multiple offers but decided returning Hytale to Collins-Laflamme gave the community “its best shot at experiencing a revised version of the game.”
Collins-Laflamme and Touchette are now personally funding Hytale’s development for the next 10 years, with Kevin Carstens as technical lead and Patrick Derbic as management lead. They’ve rehired over 40 former developers and are working off the original engine Hypixel built before Riot’s rewrite. The plan is to release early access as soon as possible – January 13, 2026 – and iterate from there.
Back to the Original Vision
Collins-Laflamme has been clear that the revived Hytale is going “back to the original vision” from that 2018 trailer. That means focusing on four core pillars: exploration across procedurally generated worlds, block-by-block building with professional tools, responsive action combat, and modding as a core feature from day one. No live service nonsense, no cross-platform complications, no chasing Fortnite or whatever trend was popular that week.
The base price is set at $9.99 – “as aggressively low as possible” according to Collins-Laflamme, who acknowledged it’s “a considerable personal risk” given the buyback price, legal fees, and production costs. Premium editions at $34.99 and $69.99 offer cosmetics but don’t affect gameplay. He wants as many players as possible to experience Hytale, understanding the current economy is tough.
Reasonable Expectations
Collins-Laflamme has been refreshingly honest about what to expect on January 13. The game “isn’t good yet” – it’s messy, janky, and there’s a lot of work to be done. It won’t be perfect on day one. But it will be playable and fun, with the core systems working, and the team will iterate based on community feedback. That’s a far cry from Riot’s approach of endless delays chasing perfection that never arrived.
Some skeptics have pointed out that Collins-Laflamme said the game was barely playable just weeks ago, and now it’s launching in 10 days. That’s a valid concern, but he’s been clear this is early access – a work in progress that players help shape. The alternative was Hytale staying dead. For the millions who signed up for beta in 2018, getting a flawed but functional version beats getting nothing.
FAQs
When does Hytale launch?
Hytale enters early access on January 13, 2026. Pre-purchases opened on December 13, 2025.
How much does Hytale cost?
The base edition costs $9.99, with premium editions priced at $34.99 and $69.99 that include additional cosmetics like capes and hats.
Why was Hytale cancelled?
Riot Games cancelled Hytale in June 2025 after nearly seven years of development plagued by scope creep, engine rewrites, and inability to deliver on the game’s ambitious vision.
Who owns Hytale now?
Original founders Simon Collins-Laflamme and Philippe Touchette reacquired Hytale from Riot Games in November 2025 and are personally funding development for the next 10 years.
How broken was Hytale when it was bought back?
According to Collins-Laflamme, it was “barely playable” with all basic systems broken – camera, movement, combat, crafting, building, gameloop, sounds, and rendering were all fundamentally wrong.
How did they fix it so fast?
The rehired team, many of whom worked on Hytale before Riot’s acquisition, returned to the original vision and engine, allowing them to salvage the game in weeks rather than the years it should have taken.
Will Hytale be finished at launch?
No, it’s launching into early access and Collins-Laflamme has been clear the game “isn’t good yet” – it’s messy and janky but playable. The team will iterate based on community feedback.
What happened to Noxy?
Aaron Donaghey (Noxy), who served as CEO under Riot, expressed gratitude that players will get to play Hytale but is not part of the revived development team.
Conclusion
Hytale’s story is equal parts cautionary tale and redemption arc. Riot Games had unlimited resources, experienced developers, and years of time – and still managed to break the game so badly that basic systems didn’t work. Simon Collins-Laflamme bought back a disaster, assembled a team of people who actually understood the vision, and got it playable in weeks. That’s what happens when you have clear direction instead of chasing every trend and rebuilding engines for no reason. In 10 days, we’ll finally see if this miracle salvage job was worth the seven-year wait. The game won’t be perfect, but it will exist – and after everything Hytale has been through, that alone feels miraculous. Whether it lives up to that 2018 trailer’s promise remains to be seen, but at least now there’s a chance. That’s more than anyone could say six months ago when Riot pulled the plug.