Cancelled sandbox title Hytale reacquired by Hypixel founder from Riot Games

Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme has announced that he has reacquired Hytale, the cancelled Minecraft-like sandbox RPG, from League of Legends developer Riot Games, vowing to continue the game’s development.

The details:

• Back in June, Riot announced that it would be ending development on Hytale and shuttering Hypixel Studios. The project began development in 2018 and was set to be an open-world sandbox title, which was later credited with its demise as the studio struggled to meet deadlines as it added more features to match those being offered by similar games on the market, missing its planned 2021 early access launch.
• In a statement posted to the Hytale website, Collins-Laflamme confirmed that he has now acquired the project from Riot after previously suggesting the move. According to the co-founder, the game’s development team is being rebuilt, with over 30 employees being rehired from the previous iteration of the project, adding that the company is “fully independent and personally committed to funding Hytale for the next 10 years.”
• Collins-Laflamme has also shared a brief overview of the next steps in development, beginning with the game swapping back to its old engine originally used for its trailer. An early access date will be announced soon, but it is noted that it will remain in early access for at least a few years with “no rush” to a 1.0 release and that its launch will offer Exploration Mode, Creative Mode, and modding support.