Hytale Will Launch in Early Access in January 2026 as Creators Revive the Long Awaited Minecraft Inspired MMO
The once cancelled Hytale, the highly anticipated Minecraft inspired MMO, officially returns as its original creator brings the project back to life. Development began in 2015 under Hypixel Studios, bolstered early on by investment from Riot Games, which eventually acquired the studio. However, in June 2025 Riot cancelled the game and disbanded Hypixel Studios, seemingly ending the project for good.
Last week, that story changed dramatically. Creator Simon Collins Laflamme announced that he had repurchased the rights to Hytale from Riot and intended to restart development. Today, he followed through on that promise. In a new blog post on the official Hytale website, he confirmed that Hytale will enter early access on January 13, 2026.
“Two weeks ago, we, the original founders, repurchased Hytale, months after it was cancelled. We revived the project, and we are returning to a four year old legacy build that had been abandoned. We are personally committing funding for many years to come.”
The development reboot is moving fast. Since regaining ownership, Collins Laflamme says the team has rehired more than 40 former and new developers, bringing the current team size to 50 people. He notes that it is exceptionally rare to reacquire a cancelled game from a major publisher and prepare for an early access launch within weeks. Players will be able to follow all progress in real time as the team rebuilds the game.
A True Early Access Release
Collins Laflamme is transparent about what players should expect. Hytale’s early access version will be rough, reflective of a game still deep in development.
“If you do not feel comfortable pre ordering, please do not. This is true early access, meaning it is still very much unfinished and will be buggy for a while. You have my and the team’s commitment to make Hytale the game we have always wanted it to be. The first impression will be rough, but the path ahead matters more.”
This level of honesty is unusual in game marketing, but it underscores the studio’s goal to rebuild trust and deliver the original vision shown in the iconic 2018 reveal trailer.
Returning to the Original Vision
One major shift is the team’s decision to abandon the newer engine and return to the older legacy build. The process required merging more than 300 GitHub branches into a single working build, a massive technical undertaking. Collins Laflamme says that although this older version was originally intended only for prototypes, it aligns better with the original creative direction.
“Because we went back to an older game build that was meant for prototypes, some parts of the game will feel behind, but momentum is strong, and we are working fast to make this into the game we all dreamed of.”
With Hytale and Hypixel Studios now fully independent again, the team is focused on recapturing what made the project so exciting when it first surfaced in 2018.
Do you think Hytale can reclaim its original hype now that the creators are back in control?
