Latest news with #Hypixel
CNET
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
Minecraft Competitor Hytale Shuts Down After a Decade of Development
Hypixel Studios is shutting down development of Hytale, its Minecraft-like sandbox creator game. The studio, a subsidiary of Riot Games, posted a blog post explaining that financial support wasn't enough to buoy the long development time. The game will not be released to the public. Hypixel Studios has long struggled with delivering on the initial vision for Hytale, and Riot Games' investment in the developer couldn't change the fact that the game had a troubled production. A blog post from Hypixel Studios explains that the development team couldn't keep up with the rising bar of contemporary sandbox gaming. "Over time, as our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising," the post reads. "Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn't as far along as it needed to be." The Hypixel Studios team formed in 2016, taking its name from the wildly-popular Minecraft mod and server it created. An initial investment from Riot Games helped the team broaden its ambition from mod-making to full-fledged game development. Riot Games bought the independent studio in 2020, furthering the gaming juggernaut's investment in the completion of Hytale's development cycle. Hypixel spoke about development difficulties in its post announcing the shuttering of development on Hytale. It's unclear what, if any, role Riot played in stopping work on the game, but Hypixel Studios' blog post mentions that Riot Games helped the developer look for other investors before ultimately choosing to end development of Hytale. "As we begin winding things down, [Riot is] ensuring our team is supported with generous severance and resources to help them find what's next," the post reads. "It's not just thoughtful -- it's human. And it shows a genuine effort to take care of the people behind the work." The Hypixel Minecraft server currently runs completely independently from Hypixel Studios, and will not be affected by the studio closure. The latest games industry layoffs continue a nasty trend, as the past several years have been rife with career instability. Over 10,500 games industry jobs were lost in 2023, with an additional 14,600 disappearing in 2024. The layoffs have continued at Hypixel Studios and elsewhere, with Microsoft rumored to be preparing for a sizable layoff next week, according to The Verge. Representatives for Riot Games and Hypixel Studios did not immediately respond for comment.
Belfast Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
NI game studio developing the ‘next Minecraft' announces they are ‘winding down'
Hypixel Studios – headquartered in the Patrick Street area of the city but with staff around the world working remotely – made the announcement on their website on Monday. The studio's CEO Aaron 'Noxy' Donaghey said the decision was 'incredibly tough news' and a 'painful decision'. Hypixel had been working on much-anticipated game Hytale for the last decade, having in 2020 been bought over and backed by Riot Games – one of the biggest gaming companies in the world based in Los Angeles. Billed by many in the industry as a potential successor to megahit game franchise Minecraft, Hytale's reveal trailer back in 2018 currently has 61 million views on YouTube. In his update on the studio's website, Mr Donaghey said: 'This is not the outcome any of us - at Hypixel or at Riot - wanted. "But after years of pushing forward, adapting, and exploring every possible path, it became clear we couldn't bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise. 'Game development is brutally hard - especially when you're trying to build something original that speaks to a creative, passionate community. Over time, as our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising. "Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn't as far along as it needed to be. "It became clear we'd need a lot more time to get it to a place where it could support the ambitious vision for the game. 'We looked at reducing scope, adjusting timelines, and finding new angles to keep moving forward. But each of those options would have meant compromising on what made Hytale special in the first place. "It wouldn't have been the game we set out to make. And it wouldn't have been the game you deserve. 'This is a painful decision. We still believe in Hytale. We believe in the team, and are forever grateful to every member, past or present, who poured their love into the game. "We're also incredibly proud of the work we did: the world we imagined, the risks we took, and the heart we poured into this project. None of that can be taken away. "And just to clarify - this doesn't affect the Hypixel server on Minecraft. It's run separately from Hypixel Studios and will continue to operate as usual. 'We're also deeply grateful to Riot - not just for the years of support and the opportunities they gave us, but for the care they're showing our team during this transition. News Catch Up - Monday 23rd June "They supported us in going out into the world to see if there were investors or acquirers who could continue to help carry Hytale forward. And now, as we begin winding things down, they're ensuring our team is supported with generous severance and resources to help them find what's next. "It's not just thoughtful - it's human. And it shows a genuine effort to take care of the people behind the work.'
Economic Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
What happened to Minecraft rival Hytale? Riot cancels the game and shuts studio after 10 years in development
Live Events Why Hytale Was Cancelled? Background & Legacy (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel What began as a gutsy attempt to rival Minecraft, fueled by nearly a decade of ambition, investment, and hype, has officially come to an end as Riot Games announced the cancellation of Hytale . Its long-awaited sandbox RPG , developed by Hypixel Studios , will begin winding down the studio in the coming months. Despite years of effort and high expectations, developers say they could not deliver the game they had envisioned without compromising its core game, in development since 2015 and fully backed by Riot since its acquisition in 2020, was intended to blend creative block-building with deep RPG mechanics and robust modding tools .According to a post by co-founder and CEO Aaron Donaghey (aka 'Noxy'), despite ambitious vision and a major engine reboot, the team concluded the project was 'still not as far along as it needed to be' after ten years of options like scaling back scope, changing timelines, or narrowing focus were considered, each compromise risked undermining the essence of what made Hytale unique, denying the experience the developers believed players expressed gratitude to Riot for continued support, including efforts to secure external investment to sustain the project, and for providing generous severance and resources to the team during this transition.'Game development is brutally hard,' he reflected, admitting the evolving genre and rising technical ambitions ultimately exceeded feasible years of evolving game scope and restarting the engine, first in C#, then ported to C++, Hytale became too large and costly to complete as rejected the compromise. Narrowing features or trimming timelines would have, in their view, diluted the soul of Hytale, making it unrecognizable from its original competing sandbox and rival modding platforms advanced, the expectations for Hytale soared. Even with Riot's aid, the game failed to keep up structurally and funded by Riot in 2015 and fully acquired by 2020, Hytale generated massive excitement with its debut trailer, garnering over 31 million views within a promised procedurally generated fantasy biomes, deep RPG elements, modding frameworks, cinematic tools, and support for player-created this promise, development remained in pre‑beta stages by mid-2024, when the team undertook a full engine migration that delayed June 2025, the decision to cancel was made, in part because the evolving scope and resources needed kept growing while the game's realization lagged far behind its initial reportedly laid off around 150 Hypixel employees as a result. Hypixel's popular Minecraft minigame server remains operational, its separately managed entity will continue unaffected.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What happened to Minecraft rival Hytale? Riot cancels the game and shuts studio after 10 years in development
What began as a gutsy attempt to rival Minecraft, fueled by nearly a decade of ambition, investment, and hype, has officially come to an end as Riot Games announced the cancellation of Hytale . Its long-awaited sandbox RPG , developed by Hypixel Studios , will begin winding down the studio in the coming months. Despite years of effort and high expectations, developers say they could not deliver the game they had envisioned without compromising its core identity. The game, in development since 2015 and fully backed by Riot since its acquisition in 2020, was intended to blend creative block-building with deep RPG mechanics and robust modding tools . According to a post by co-founder and CEO Aaron Donaghey (aka 'Noxy'), despite ambitious vision and a major engine reboot, the team concluded the project was 'still not as far along as it needed to be' after ten years of development. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo While options like scaling back scope, changing timelines, or narrowing focus were considered, each compromise risked undermining the essence of what made Hytale unique, denying the experience the developers believed players deserved. Donaghey expressed gratitude to Riot for continued support, including efforts to secure external investment to sustain the project, and for providing generous severance and resources to the team during this transition. Live Events 'Game development is brutally hard,' he reflected, admitting the evolving genre and rising technical ambitions ultimately exceeded feasible boundaries. Why Hytale Was Cancelled? After years of evolving game scope and restarting the engine, first in C#, then ported to C++, Hytale became too large and costly to complete as envisioned. Developers rejected the compromise. Narrowing features or trimming timelines would have, in their view, diluted the soul of Hytale, making it unrecognizable from its original pitch. As competing sandbox and rival modding platforms advanced, the expectations for Hytale soared. Even with Riot's aid, the game failed to keep up structurally and creatively. Background & Legacy Originally funded by Riot in 2015 and fully acquired by 2020, Hytale generated massive excitement with its debut trailer, garnering over 31 million views within a month. It promised procedurally generated fantasy biomes, deep RPG elements, modding frameworks, cinematic tools, and support for player-created content. Despite this promise, development remained in pre‑beta stages by mid-2024, when the team undertook a full engine migration that delayed progress. By June 2025, the decision to cancel was made, in part because the evolving scope and resources needed kept growing while the game's realization lagged far behind its initial promise. Riot reportedly laid off around 150 Hypixel employees as a result. Hypixel's popular Minecraft minigame server remains operational, its separately managed entity will continue unaffected.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Hytale canceled as Riot Games confirms developer Hypixel Studios is shutting down
Hytale, the much-awaited sandbox game in development since 2015, has officially been canceled as Hypixel Studios begins the process of shutting down operations over the next few months. The announcement was made by CEO and co-founder Noxy (Aaron Donaghey) on Monday, June 23. Hytale canceled after being in development since 2015 In his statement, Noxy said this was not the outcome anyone at Hypixel or Riot Games wanted. He added that, despite almost a decade of adapting and exploring every possible path, they could not bring Hytale to life in a way that would 'truly' deliver on its promise. According to Xbox Era, the cancellation came after years of high anticipation for the video game, which was initially pitched as a blend of Minecraft-style creativity and structured RPG-style adventures. Hypixel Studios, which was acquired by Riot Games in 2020, had long promoted the game as a genre-defining sandbox experience for PC and Mac. Reports indicated that a playable beta version was in the works, with fans signing up in large numbers. Minecraft Hypixel server not affected Noxy stated that mounting technical challenges, an evolving creative vision, and a maturing sandbox genre raised the bar for what the game needed to be. This ultimately made development unsustainable. The CEO noted that despite a full reboot of the game engine, progress remained slower than necessary. This forced the studio to consider cutting features or compromising on its ambitions. Ultimately, Noxy said, they decided not to continue development since it would neither be the game Hypixel set out to make nor the one players deserved. Despite the studio's closure, he confirmed the popular Hypixel Minecraft server will not be impacted, as it is operated separately from the studio. Riot Games to support affected employees Noxy, aka Aaron, thanked the team and the community, expressing appreciation for Riot Games and the fans who supported Hytale. He praised Riot for taking care of the team with generous severance packages and job assistance. He acknowledged it was a tough decision, and although Hypixel won't be the ones to launch the game, he and the team still believe in 'its message and the great possibilities this genre has.' ALSO READ: Sports play through another dangerously hot day in parts of the US FAQs: What happened to Hytale? Development has officially ended due to technical difficulties and the inability to deliver on the game's full creative vision. Is Hypixel Studios closing? Yes, the studio is beginning the process of winding down operations over the coming months. Will this affect the Hypixel Minecraft server? No. The Hypixel server is operated separately and will continue to run as usual. Why did Hytale fail? According to the studio, technical complexity, rising creative ambitions, and industry shifts made development unsustainable.
