Hytale, Ambitious Minecraft Rival, Canceled After Nearly Seven Years

Hytale, the anticipated Minecraft competitor unveiled in 2018, has been canceled, and its developer is closing operations.

Hypixel Studios announced the termination of its Riot Games-supported, Minecraft-inspired project, with the studio now in the process of shutting down.

Hytale debuted in December 2018 with a trailer that amassed an impressive 61 million views on YouTube. The original description stated:

Hytale combines the scope of a sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game, immersing players in a procedurally generated world where teetering towers and deep dungeons promise rich rewards throughout their adventures. Hytale supports everything from block-by-block construction to scripting and minigame creation, delivered using easy to use and powerful tools.

The project’s buzz stemmed from the expertise of its developers, co-founders of Hypixel, a globally renowned Minecraft server. Riot Games, creators of League of Legends, invested heavily and later acquired the studio.

Yet, the vision for Hytale has ended. “This isn’t the outcome anyone at Hypixel or Riot hoped for,” co-founder Noxy stated on the Hytale website. “After years of effort, adaptation, and exploring every avenue, we realized we couldn’t fulfill Hytale’s true potential.”

What led to this? Noxy explained that Hytale’s technical ambitions became increasingly intricate. Even after a full engine reboot, the team found the project “lagged behind where it needed to be.”

“It was evident we’d need far more time to achieve the game’s ambitious goals,” Noxy added.

Scaling back or delaying the release were considered but dismissed, as they “would have compromised what made Hytale unique,” Noxy noted. “It wouldn’t have been the game we envisioned or the one players deserved.”

Riot sought investors to salvage the project, but those efforts fell through. Affected employees are receiving “generous severance packages and support to transition to new opportunities.”

The cancellation follows a spring 2025 update where Hypixel shared progress from earlier in the year, including a new character reveal teased in late 2023. Engine advancements were also highlighted at the time.