We finally have a release date for the early access build of Hytale. The fun starts on January 13. The game costs $20 and is available for PC players via Steam. Preorders go up on December 13.
This is a true early access build, so don't go in expecting a polished experience. Developer Hypixel Studios says it's "still very much unfinished and will be buggy for a while" but that the team is committed to perfecting the game over time. Studio co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme recently said "I don't think the game is good yet," so make of that what you will.
For the uninitiated, Hytale is a nifty-looking open world adventure game that looks to be visually inspired by Minecraft. It's been on our radar for years and development goes all the way back to 2015.
It's been a long road getting to early access, with enough twists and turns to fuel a boardroom drama. Riot bought the studio in 2020, ostensibly to continue work on Hytale. However, the company behind League of Legends soured on the concept after a few years. It shut down Hypixel Studios earlier this year and ended development of the game.
That should've been the end, but it wasn't. Hypixel managed to secure funding to buy the rights back from Riot and brought Hytale back from the dead. The company rehired a bunch of staffers that were impacted by Riot's decision and got to work. Hypixel showed off a bunch of new footage of the game just one day after it announced the acquisition. That's what the kids refer to as a "flex."
In any event, it's good to get a happy ending for once. Hytale may not be a polished product when the early access is released in January, but I have full confidence that it'll get there.
