'hytale Is Saved': Riot Sells Cancelled Game Back To Original...

Simon Collins-Laflamme says he's already rehired more than 30 Hytale developers, and more are coming.

Five months after cancelling the development of Hytale and closing the studio working on it, Riot Games has sold the whole thing back to original co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme. And yes, that means work on the game has resumed: Collins-Laflamme said more than 30 former developers "who know this game inside and out" have been brought back to continue development, and more are expected to follow soon.

"We are thrilled to announce that we have acquired Hytale from Riot Games," Collins-Laflamme wrote in a new update on the Hytale website.

"While it didn't make sense for them to continue developing it in its existing form, they ultimately wanted what's best for players, and that's for us to eventually play a revised version of the game. We are grateful to Riot Games for making this possible."

Riot confirmed the same in its own post on X, saying the sale will give the Hytale community "its best shot at experiencing a revised version of the game."

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/Yii5hknO6LNovember 17, 2025

"At Riot, our commitment is always to players first—ensuring that the choices we make, even when they’re difficult, reflect what we believe will create the most positive outcome for them," Riot CEO Dylan Jadeja said. "While at Riot, the Hytale team made a ton of incredible content and while this means Hytale’s journey will continue outside of Riot, we’re hopeful this transition provides a way for the community that has been so passionate and patient over the years to experience some of the great work that was done.”

The resurrected development team is "fully independent and personally committed to funding Hytale for the next 10 years," Collins-Laflamme wrote in today's Hytale update, adding that they're "going back to the original vision for Hytale."

That "vision for Hytale" has been a point of contention over the years. Hytale was first revealed in 2018, and two years later the Hypixel Studios team was acquired by Riot. But a planned early access release in 2021 failed to materialize, and further delays followed until the cancellation. Hypixel co-founder Noxy, who served as studio CEO under Riot, said the delays were in part down to mission

Source: PC Gamer