Riot Games Celebrates Successful Early Access Launch of Hytale After Returning It to Original Developers

After more than ten years of ups and downs, including a cancellation and a revival by its original creators, the Minecraft-inspired RPG Hytale has officially entered early access. This marks a significant triumph for the gaming industry, so much so that even Riot Games, the previous overseer, has extended their congratulations to the team for reaching this milestone.

On Twitter, the official Riot account shared a message celebrating Hytale’s early access launch, stating, “Congrats on early access,” accompanied by a fist bump emoji. Hytale’s team responded with a heartfelt, “Thank you for helping bring Hytale home.”

To give you some context, Hytale originated from a Minecraft server in the mid-2010s, gradually building a passionate community. Riot Games took notice and invested in the project, eventually acquiring Hypixel and committing to release Hytale as a large-scale action-adventure title.

Unfortunately, the industry had other plans, leading to Hytale’s cancellation and the closure of Hypixel by Riot Games in June 2025, part of a series of structural changes within the company. However, the founders of Hypixel persevered, managing to continue the studio independently and reclaim the rights to the game. By November 2025, development was back on track, culminating in the current early access release.

The team has been candid about the personal sacrifices made during this journey, dedicating time away from their families to bring Hytale to life. The game underwent a comprehensive overhaul to ensure it was ready for release, which made the production process challenging.

Now, after over a decade of development, players can finally dive into the blocky sandbox world. Hundreds of thousands have already jumped in, and if the quality remains high, even more players are likely to join. It’s heartwarming to see the two main companies involved celebrate the game’s launch together, serving as a reminder that positive moments can emerge from the chaos of the industry.

Shortly after launch, Hytale’s first hotfix was released, addressing a bug that could cause crashes.