Cheers have been heard across the internet, with jubilations that, yes, Hytale has been saved from cancellation.
Development on Hytale started back in 2015, and the game soon began garnering a lot of attention. However, after gaining investment by Riot Games and eventually getting acquired by the gaming giant, the game was cancelled in June of this year.
Thankfully, though, that wasn’t the end of the story, and last night, original Hypixel co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme announced that he had acquired Hytale from Riot Games, calling it “a new and exciting chapter” for those involved.
“Huge thanks to Riot for working with me to make this happen. They wanted what’s best for players, and that’s for us to eventually play the game,” Collins-Laflamme wrote. “This game has always been close to my heart, and I’m excited to bring it back home.
“Real talk: Hytale isn’t some polished AAA release waiting in the wings. It’s messy. It’s janky. And there’s a lot of work to be done. My plan? Get it out to you as soon as possible. No more waiting. You’ll get to play it, rough edges and all. It won’t be perfect on day one. My hope is that together, we’ll shape it into something truly special.
“Thanks for believing in Hytale. Time to get to work.”
On the game’s website, Collins-Laflamme again thanked Riot, adding the team was now “going back to the original vision” for Hytale. “We are fully independent and personally committed to funding Hytale for the next 10 years,” the developer said. He added an early access date for Hytale will be announced in the “coming days”, so stay tuned.
In its own statement regarding Hytale’s sale, Riot said: “After evaluating multiple offers, we’ve reached an agreement to return Hytale to @simon_hypixel, giving this community its best shot at experiencing a revised version of the game.
“Wishing the team the best of luck for what’s ahead.”
When news of the game’s cancellation first made the rounds, a gigantic art piece with “#Save Hytale” was painted on WPlace over Santa Monica. A community effort by fans of the cancelled sandbox game, this digital display happened to hover over the Riot Games office.
