According to KitGuru.net, Hypixel Studios founder Simon Collins-Laflamme has successfully bought back the Hytale IP from Riot Games after more than five years of development hell. The acquisition means Hytale is officially “uncancelled” and returning to its original creators. Since regaining control, Hypixel Studios has already rehired more than 30 former developers who had left the project. The studio will now develop a “revised version of the game” using the legacy engine rather than Riot’s expanded vision. Early Access plans are expected to be announced “in the coming days,” though no specific release date has been set yet. Riot Games agreed to the deal because they ultimately wanted what’s best for players.
What this actually means
Here’s the thing about acquisitions in gaming – they rarely go this way. Usually when a big publisher like Riot scoops up a promising indie studio, that’s the end of the story. The original vision gets diluted, timelines stretch into infinity, and eventually everyone moves on. But this? This is basically the gaming equivalent of getting a divorce and then your ex willingly gives you the house back because they realize you’d take better care of it.
For the developers who’ve been through this rollercoaster, it’s got to be incredibly validating. Imagine working on your passion project for years, then watching it get absorbed by a corporate giant, only to eventually buy it back and get the band back together. The fact that over 30 former developers have already returned speaks volumes about their belief in the original vision.
Back to the drawing board
So what’s changing? The most significant shift is the move back to the legacy engine. Riot apparently wanted a much more ambitious, expanded version of Hytale – which sounds great in theory, but in practice meant the game was stuck in development purgatory. Now they’re scaling back to fulfill that original vision that got everyone excited in the first place.
And let’s be honest – how many times have we seen games get feature creep until they’re practically unrecognizable from what made them special initially? Sometimes going back to basics is exactly what a project needs. The question is whether the gaming community still cares after all these years. Hytale generated massive hype back in 2018, but that was… well, a different era in gaming.
What comes next
The immediate focus seems to be on getting the core development team reassembled and announcing those Early Access plans. Without Riot’s deep pockets, they’ll need to find alternative funding sources – which explains why they’ve already set up a Patreon page for community support.
It’s a risky move, but also a refreshing one. We’re so used to seeing indie studios get swallowed by giants that watching one successfully break free feels almost revolutionary. If you’re still curious about the details straight from the source, the team posted their full announcement on the official Hytale website. Now we wait to see if this second chance actually pays off.
