For a while, Hytale felt like a ghost story. An upcoming sandbox RPG, once backed by Riot Games, but that slowly faded away. Development was stopped, silence grew, and earlier this year, it looked like the project was truly dead.
But now, against all odds, Hytale is back. And the story behind its return is almost as surprising as the comeback itself.
“I Repurchased the Game”
In a rare twist for the games’ industry, Hytale’s creator, Simon Collins-Laflamme, personally bought back the game from Riot. No publishers. No safety net. No corporate relaunch. Just a small team and a personal promise:
“I said I was all in, and I am delivering on that promise.”
Not only did he regain control of the game, he also rehired over 30 original developers who knew Hytale from the inside, and committed to personally funding development for the next few years. This is truly a passion project revived by pure stubbornness.
The $20 Promise
Even more surprising is the planned price. Hytale is expected to launch in Early Access at around $20. Not because the game is polished, but because it very clearly is not. The current build is based on a version that is more than four years old. It runs, it is playable, but it is unfinished, unbalanced, and rough around the edges. Rather than hide that, the team decided to be honest.
They do not think the game is “good” yet, but they think it has the potential to become great, with the community’s help.
Why This Version of Hytale Is Different
One of the biggest decisions the team made was to abandon the new engine and return to the original “legacy” engine, so the one seen in the old trailers. The reason is simple, and it is because that version actually feels like Hytale. It is the version that is fun now, not in two years.
The new cross-platform engine simply was not playable enough to justify the wait. So the team chose momentum over perfection, and brought Hytale back to a state where people can actually play it.
An Early Access date is coming soon, along with:
- Actual gameplay footage
- Real Screenshots
- Patch notes
- Modding roadmaps
- Final pricing details
The game will be on Windows first, with Linux and Mac later. Minigames and full Adventure Mode will also come in future updates. This is intended to be a long journey!
One thing is sure, the devs are all in, and they want to deliver something everyone can enjoy, so stay tuned for more soon!
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