In one of the most surprising twists in game development history, Hytale, the highly anticipated sandbox RPG that fans had long awaited, has been officially bought back by its original co-founder, Simon Collins-Laflamme, from Riot Games. This stunning reversal comes just months after Riot Games decided to cancel the game outright in June 2025, citing its massive scope and the sluggish pace of development as insurmountable hurdles. For many in the community, the game was dead, but the founders refused to let the dream die.

A Decisive Shift in Ownership and Commitment

Collins-Laflamme, alongside fellow Hypixel co-founder Philippe Touchette, didn’t just reacquire the Hytale intellectual property. They secured the entire Hypixel brand and committed to its future. Riot Games, when explaining the transaction, stated that they agreed to the deal because they genuinely believe returning the IP to its creators offers the community “its best shot at experiencing a revised version of the game.” Crucially, the founders announced a personal commitment to funding Hytale‘s development for the next 10 years, confirming they will operate without any external investors or publishers.

Development Shifts to Original Engine for Faster Release

To fulfill their promise of bringing the game “back to the original vision for Hytale,” the newly independent team made a major technical pivot. They have officially abandoned the cross-platform engine Riot had been building and are instead reviving the game’s original “Legacy engine,” which was far closer to being ready for players. To staff this effort, they immediately rehired more than 30 developers who had been laid off. While the founders plan to announce an Early Access release date “as soon as possible,” they are setting realistic expectations, warning players to expect an initially “messy,” “janky,” and “unfinished” experience, a tradeoff they believe is worth making to finally get the game into the hands of the community.

Official website: https://hytale.com/