Latest news with #developmentteam
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.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Chrono Odyssey Looks Very Promising In New Developer Interview Video
Chrono Odyssey Last week, closed beta signups went live for Chrono Odyssey and now the studio has published the first in a new series of Developer Interview videos. I've gotten excited and then let down by MMOs so many times over the years, it honestly feels like I'm an avid connoisseur of deflated hype and expectations. But who knows, maybe this time things will be different because everything I've seen and heard about Chrono Odyssey has me willing to believe it really could be the MMORPG I've been waiting for. Maybe. In the 20-minute developer interview video, we get to hear from a variety of folks on the development team including the executive producer named Sangtae and a product manager named Don. Something that really stood out to me in this interview is at the very beginning when Sangtae explains that they wanted to make overall progression just as fun as end-game content. That's a big goal to try and fulfill, because MMORPGs are perhaps the most infamous examples of players feeling like the 'real game' doesn't start until you reach the end. The need to invest dozens or hundreds of hours before you start to actually have fun is a tall ask when it comes to generating new players. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Sangtae also promises a lack of loading screens in the game in favor of a more seamless open world design. For a large-scale MMO game like this, that's a pretty exciting proposition. The team cites the cosmic horror vibes of movies like Prometheus and the encroaching threat of intimidating enemies such as the Zerg from StarCraft as key inspirations for the game world. Chrono Odyssey When it comes to what I want out of an MMO, I might be in a unique, personally. I'm the kind of gamer that does not and cannot play a single game for weeks, months, or years on end. I just can't do it. I like too many different genres and love chasing that new game feeling way too much to lock myself down. Call it professional curiosity, I guess. But at the same time, I absolutely love getting immersed in a big, bold MMO world. I like that communal feeling of discovering and exploring something with others collectively and I enjoy PvE content like dungeons, open world boss battles, and raids a lot. I just don't have the bandwidth to get deep into the end game these days as a parent. What I want out of my MMOs is the depth and complexity to feel engaged and challenged, with the approachability and fun factor to not feel overwhelmed when I come back from a multi-week break. Not many games have ever managed to strike that balance as well as prime Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online, or the first few months of Throne and Liberty last year. I haven't had a chance to play Chrono Odyssey for myself yet, but the fact that it's also coming to consoles has me very cautiously optimistic it could scratch that itch for me once again. Visually it's gorgeous, combat looks stellar, and the developers really seem to be passionate about the world they've built. Let's see if it can stick the landing. If you want to take part in the closed beta test next month, you can sign up over on the Chrono Odyssey Steam page, or check out the official game website for more details.
