Five months after Riot cancelled Hytale and closed the studio working on it, the project is back in the hands of its original co-founder. Simon Collins-Laflamme announced on the Hytale site that he has acquired the IP from Riot and is restarting development.
We did it. Hytale is saved. We have acquired Hytale from Riot Games.
— Simon (@Simon_Hypixel) November 17, 2025
Collins-Laflamme wrote that more than 30 former developers who “know this game inside and out” have already been brought back and that the revived team is “fully independent and personally committed to funding Hytale for the next 10 years“. The update is on the Hytale website and can be read in full on their news page. Riot confirmed the sale on X, saying the decision gives the Hytale community its best chance of seeing a revised version of the game in the future. Collins-Laflamme thanked Riot for making the transaction possible and said the team plans to ship Hytale “as soon as possible” in some form of early access while continuing work after launch.
After evaluating multiple offers, we’ve reached an agreement to return Hytale to @simon_hypixel, giving this community its best shot at experiencing a revised version of the game. Wishing the team the best of luck for what’s ahead. https://t.co/Yii5hknO6L
— Riot Games (@riotgames) November 17, 2025
The founder warned that the build is currently “messy” and “janky” and that there is a lot of work to do before a polished launch. He also said the team intends to return Hytale to its original vision and plans to iterate publicly rather than sit on the project for years. Hytale was first revealed in 2018, and Hypixel Studios was acquired by Riot in 2020. The project missed a planned early access window in 2021 and endured repeated delays before Riot cancelled development earlier this year. Former Hypixel CEO Noxy commented on X that he is grateful players will get to play Hytale and thanked Collins-Laflamme for bringing the project back. However, he will not be among the rehired developers.
Extremely grateful that players will get to play Hytale – and that it's in the hands of Simon and Philippe – the original founders of Hypixel and the Minecraft server. Gratitude to Riot as well for finding a way to make this happen for the community. It's unconventional and it… https://t.co/WO28YEfO54
— Noxy (@Noxywoxy) November 17, 2025
Other ideas to save the game circulated after the cancellation, including interest from individual developers and smaller studios, but Collins-Laflamme had previously pledged personal funding and outreach to Riot to try to take Hytale back. The exact financial terms of the sale have not been disclosed. This restart will be watched closely by fans who have followed Hytale since its earliest teasers. The immediate focus is rehiring, stabilizing the codebase, and getting a playable early access build into players’ hands while the newly independent studio works on longer-term goals.
Join the conversation in the comments and follow the team on social for rapid updates on progress and rehiring news via X, Bluesky, and YouTube.
