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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Hypixel Studios announced on November 17, 2025, that it had reacquired Hytale from Riot Games and resumed development as an independent studio. The game has since entered Early Access, but it is still unfinished. The studio also chose to return to an older, more playable engine rather than continue with its newer cross-platform project.
Who owns Hytale now?
Hypixel Studios says it owns 100% of Hytale after repurchasing it from Riot Games. The studio announced the reacquisition on November 17, 2025, and said it was operating independently. The announcement does not disclose the transaction price or detailed contract terms, so the exact financial structure and scope of the deal are not public in the cited materials. Hypixel Studios’ reacquisition announcement is the source for the ownership claim.
Riot had acquired Hypixel Studios in April 2020, according to the studio’s About page. The founders said they had not been involved with Hytale since 2020 before returning to the project.
How Hytale went from cancellation to Early Access
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| April 2020 | Riot Games acquired Hypixel Studios, according to the studio’s About page. |
| June 23, 2025 | Hypixel Studios announced it was ending Hytale development and winding down the studio. |
| November 17, 2025 | Hypixel Studios announced it had reacquired Hytale from Riot and resumed development independently. |
| November 28, 2025 | The studio announced an Early Access launch date of January 13, 2026. |
| January 13, 2026 | Hytale entered Early Access. |
| July 16, 2026 | Game Director Simon Collins-Laflamme shared a provisional development look at Chapter 1 and other plans. |
The June shutdown announcement and November reversal are both described by the reacquisition announcement and the studio’s About page. The studio later said it had rehired more than 30 developers by November 17, 2025. In its November 28 update, it reported that more than 40 former and new team members had been rehired, bringing the team to 50. These are figures reported by the studio, not independently audited totals. The Early Access date announcement also says the team merged more than 300 GitHub branches while preparing the older build.
#1 Best Overall
- Join Forces with Your Favorite Characters From the Film-Play as one of the classic childhood legends including: North, Tooth, Bunnymund, Sandman, and Jack Frost
- Battle Pitch in an Epic Adventure-Take on Pitch and his evil nightmares in a deep and intuitive adventure combat game
- Unique Abilities and Upgrades-Unlock power-ups such as weapon upgrades for your character
- Explore Legendary Guardian Realms-Experience the imaginative worlds from Rise of the Guardians
- Team up in Multiplayer-Swap between any of the Guardians in drop-in-and-out four-player squad based multiplayer on consoles
Why the studio returned to an older engine
Hypixel Studios described two engine paths: a C#/Java PC-only Legacy Engine used for the original trailer and much of the earlier development material, and a newer C++ engine intended to support multiple platforms. The studio said the newer engine was significantly behind in gameplay and might need about two more years before it could be suitable for Early Access. Those are the studio’s assessments, not an independent technical comparison.
Instead, the team resumed work on the Legacy Engine, which it described as more playable and closer to the game it wanted to make. The studio said that build had been abandoned for more than four years before the team prepared it for Early Access. Its rationale and engine descriptions appear in the reacquisition announcement and the November Early Access update.
Rank #2
- Join Forces with Your Favorite Characters From the Film-Play as one of the classic childhood legends including: North, Tooth, Bunnymund, Sandman, and Jack Frost
- Battle Pitch in an Epic Adventure-Take on Pitch and his evil nightmares in a deep and intuitive adventure combat game
- Unique Abilities and Upgrades-Unlock power-ups such as weapon upgrades for your character
- Explore Legendary Guardian Realms-Experience the imaginative worlds from Rise of the Guardians
- Team up in Multiplayer-Swap between any of the Guardians in drop-in-and-out four-player squad based multiplayer on consoles
What players get in Early Access—and what is still missing
At the November 2025 announcement, Hypixel Studios listed Exploration Mode, Creative Mode and modding among the planned launch content. It said Adventure Mode and official minigames would come later. On January 13, 2026, the studio confirmed the Early Access release and called the game “unpolished and incomplete,” with missing features and expected bugs. It also warned that launch week could be bumpy after demand exceeded expectations. The release announcement is a dated account of the game’s launch state, not a guarantee that every item or condition remains unchanged.
The studio described frequent updates as its initial approach and said the roadmap was not fully pre-planned because player feedback would help shape development. In a July 16, 2026 update, Collins-Laflamme said the team had been shipping weekly while focusing on foundations, rebuilding tools and growing the team before shifting toward new content. The update showed work on Chapter 1, including a first handcrafted dungeon and a multi-phase boss encounter, but explicitly said almost everything shown was work in progress and could change. It also described 14 short party minigames, each lasting 60 to 120 seconds, as the minigame team’s work at that time—not as a promised release count or final duration. See the July 2026 development update.
Rank #3
- FATHER TIME: When Timmy is punished for breaking dads grade school trophy, he travels back in time to stop dad from winning it. But Timmys tampering dramatically changes the present world so its up to Cosmo and Wanda to help him fix his mistakes!
- A PARTNERSHIP: Timmy inadvertently causes a fight between Cosmo and Wanda, and Cosmo moves back home. When Cosmo's mom tries to break the Godparents up, Timmy must rush to the rescue.
- RULED OUT: Timmys tired of his parents strict rules and wishes for parents that cared less. But when mom and dad stop following the rules, and his new Fairy Godparents make things difficult, Timmy finds out why being responsible is important.
- THAT'S LIFE: To help his Mom win the Dimmsdale "Veg-off," Timmy wishes her garden full of life. What he doesn't know is his dearly departed pet gerbil Eddie is buried in the garden!
What the studio’s funding and team statements do—and do not—establish
In November 2025, the studio said its founders were personally committing funding for the next 10 years. That is the founders’ stated commitment, not a guarantee that development will succeed or that the game will remain on a particular schedule. The announcement also reported more than 30 developers rehired, followed by the later report of a 50-person team. Neither statement is accompanied by independent verification in the cited announcements. The reacquisition announcement contains the funding commitment and initial staffing figure.
The January 13, 2026 release announcement listed the Starter Edition at $19.99 USD on that date. That is a launch-day price, not confirmation of the current price. Check the live store listing before deciding to buy. The studio advised people uncomfortable with pre-ordering not to pre-order; the game has since launched into Early Access. The release post’s price and condition statements are at Hytale’s January 2026 announcement.
Is Hytale’s return a completed turnaround?
The reacquisition brought Hytale back from a planned shutdown, and Early Access began in January 2026. But a restart and an Early Access release are not the same as a finished game: the studio has described missing features, bugs and ongoing work, while its later Chapter 1 plans remain provisional. For players, the decision depends on whether an evolving, incomplete game and a changing roadmap are acceptable. For anyone tracking the business story, the key distinction is that ownership, funding and development plans here are statements from Hypixel Studios, while the cited announcements do not provide transaction terms or independent financial verification.
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