Riot Games announced Hytale as a revolution in open-world games, but officially canceled the project after years of development. The announcement came from Riot Games itself, the company responsible for titles like League of Legends and Valorant, which acquired developer Hypixel Studios in 2020. With this, not only is the project ending, but the developer's company is also being shut down.
Since its unveiling in 2018, Hytale has raised expectations for combining the creative freedom of games like Minecraft with a deeper narrative structure and mechanics typical of RPGs. The game's premise included procedurally generated worlds, unique enemies in each region, extensive mod support, and accessible creation tools for the community.
A promising project that never came to fruition
The promise was to create an innovative experience, accessible to casual gamers and content creators. However, the long development cycle, combined with constant scope changes and technical issues, ultimately made the project unsustainable.
According to Aaron "Noxy" Donaghey, co-founder of Hypixel Studios, development went through several redesigns. However, at one point, the game's engine was replaced, requiring a new development cycle from scratch. Even so, the team concluded that Hytale was still far from reaching the desired level of quality.
Noxy admitted that alternatives such as reducing the game's scope or seeking outside investors were considered, but none proved viable without compromising the original vision. Riot Games, which had been funding the studio from the beginning, opted to permanently shut down the project, stating that it could no longer sustain such a large production outside of its core ecosystem.
Riot Games moves away from projects outside its core portfolio
In recent years, Riot has been trying to expand its operations beyond the League of Legends universe. The cancellation of Hytale, however, signals a strategic shift. Instead of maintaining large-scale projects outside its core portfolio, the company now appears to be prioritizing titles with direct synergy with its established franchises.
This decision directly resulted in the closure of Hypixel Studios. Although the number of employees impacted was not disclosed, it is estimated that more than 70 people were part of the team, according to LinkedIn records.
Hypixel's Legacy and Community Impact
Hypixel initially became known for its Minecraft server, created in 2013. With a solid fan base and innovative experiences, the server served as the foundation for the ambition to create its own game. It's unclear whether the Hypixel server will remain active after the studio's closure, but it remains operational as of this writing.
Hytale's cancellation frustrates a community that followed its development for years, fueled by trailers, update blogs, and promises of a game that would unite creativity, combat, and narrative into a single universe.
Despite the cancellation, Riot Games provided severance packages and support to the impacted employees. In his final message, Noxy thanked the team and community for their support throughout the years of development.
