Hypixel Studios announced on November 17, 2025, that it had reacquired Hytale from Riot Games and would continue developing it as an independent studio. After announcing that development was ending in June 2025, the team returned to an older, playable engine build, and Hytale entered Early Access on January 13, 2026. The studio’s account confirms the change in ownership and direction; it does not disclose the deal’s price or detailed legal terms.
Who owns Hytale now?
Hypixel Studios says it reacquired Hytale from Riot Games and is fully independent. Its announcement says the studio owns 100% of Hytale, repurchased from Riot. That describes the studio’s public account of the deal; no transaction value or further contract terms were disclosed. Hypixel Studios’ November 17, 2025 announcement gives the details.
Riot had acquired Hypixel Studios in April 2020, according to the studio’s About page. The founders said they had not been involved with the project since 2020 before returning. On June 23, 2025, Hypixel Studios announced that Hytale development was ending and that the studio would wind down. The November reacquisition reversed that outcome.
Why did development resume on an older engine?
Hypixel Studios said it had been developing Hytale along two engine paths. The Legacy Engine, written in C# and Java for PC, was used in the original trailer and much of the earlier development material. A newer C++ engine was intended to support multiple platforms.
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| Engine path | What the studio said | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy Engine | Playable, closer to the game the team intended to make, and used for much of the earlier Hytale material. | Development resumed on this build. |
| Newer cross-platform engine | Designed for cross-platform support, but, in the studio’s assessment, significantly behind in gameplay; it estimated it could take about two years to become suitable for Early Access. | The studio said it abandoned this engine path. |
These are Hypixel Studios’ assessments, not an independent technical comparison. In its reacquisition announcement, the studio said the newer engine was too far behind in gameplay, while the older build was closer to a playable version of its intended game. The team also said the Legacy Engine had been abandoned for more than four years. Preparing it for Early Access involved merging more than 300 GitHub branches, according to the November 28, 2025 update.
What changed for the team and its plans?
In the November 17 announcement, Hypixel Studios said it had rehired more than 30 developers, with more returns expected, and that its founders were personally committing funding for the next ten years. Those figures and the funding commitment are the studio’s statements, not independently audited measures or a guarantee of Hytale’s eventual success.
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On November 28, the studio reported that more than 40 former and new team members had been rehired since the cancellation announcement, bringing the team to 50. These are dated staffing figures, and they should not be read as a current headcount. The Early Access announcement also set the release date and described how the team was preparing the older build.
When did Hytale enter Early Access, and what was included?
Hytale entered Early Access on January 13, 2026. Before launch, the studio described Exploration Mode, Creative Mode and modding as launch content; Adventure Mode and official minigames were planned for later. At release, Hypixel Studios called the game “unpolished and incomplete,” warning of bugs and missing features. It also cautioned that launch week could be bumpy after demand exceeded expectations. The release announcement lists the Starter Edition at $19.99 USD on January 13, 2026; that dated launch price is not confirmation of the current price.
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The studio said frequent updates were its initial plan, but its roadmap was not fully pre-planned because player feedback would help shape development. For players, that means Early Access was presented as an evolving version of the game, not a finished release with a fixed feature schedule. Hypixel Studios also advised anyone uncomfortable with pre-ordering not to do so in its Early Access announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What was still in development in July 2026?
In a July 16, 2026 update, Game Director Simon Collins-Laflamme said the team had been shipping weekly since Early Access, while prioritizing foundations, rebuilding tools and growing the team before shifting toward new content. The post showed work on Chapter 1, including a first handcrafted dungeon and a multi-phase boss encounter. It also said there were few reasons to return to the game at that point, and warned that almost everything shown was work in progress and might change. These were development snapshots, not confirmed released features or firm delivery promises. The July 2026 development update also described the minigame team’s work at that time as 14 short party minigames, each lasting 60 to 120 seconds; that was a dated snapshot, not a guaranteed release count or duration.
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