"Hytale is Saved": Original Co-Founder Repurchases Cancelled Minecraft-Like Game from Riot Games

In a dramatic reversal, the fantasy sandbox title Hytale has been acquired by original Hypixel co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme from Riot Games, just months after the gaming giant announced the game's cancellation. This move has been met with widespread celebration across the internet, signaling a "new and exciting chapter" for the long-awaited project.

Development on Hytale began in 2015 and quickly generated massive community excitement as a spiritual successor to the Minecraft genre. However, after receiving significant investment and eventually being acquired by Riot Games, the game was unexpectedly cancelled in June of this year.

The reversal was announced by Collins-Laflamme, who confirmed that Riot Games agreed to sell the title back, stating that the publisher "wanted what's best for players, and that's for us to eventually play the game."

Returning to the Original Vision

Collins-Laflamme announced that the repurchased development team is committed to funding the project for the next decade and is "going back to the original vision" for Hytale. He emphasized that the focus now is on getting the game into players' hands as quickly as possible, even with its current state of development:

"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."

The developer promised that an Early Access date for Hytale will be announced in the "coming days."

Riot Games also released a statement, confirming the decision: "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."

The news follows a high-profile community effort to save the game, which included a large digital art piece reading "#Save Hytale" painted over the Riot Games office location on WPlace.