We already knew Hytale was likely to have a major early access release this week, but developer Hypixel Studios has now revealed the long-awaited Minecraft-a-like has sold so many copies ahead of its launch that it’s made enough money to fund the next two years of development.
Development of Hytale, an RPG-like Minecraft-style sandbox experience, began in 2015, garnering plenty of attention – with League of Legends developer Riot Games investing millions into the project before acquiring Hypixel in 2020. But last year it seemed like Hytale’s adventure might have reached an end after Riot made the decision to pull the plug, forcing Hypixel to announce it would be “winding down” its operations as a result.
Somewhat miraculously, however, Hytale survived; Hypixel co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme announced he’d acquired the game from Riot at the end of last year, and the whole dramatic saga appears to have created massively renewed interest in the project. Ahead of Hytale’s early access launch on 13th January this week, Collins-Laflamme revealed Hypixel is expecting 1m players on release day
Now, Collins-Laflamme has explained what the massive number of pre-purchases means for Hytale’s continued development. “Pleased to announce that we have officially secured the next two years of development costs through pre-purchases,” he wrote on social media. “Combined with my personal commitment of ten years,” he continued, “we are looking very strong for the future.” That’s clearly encouraging news, both for early adopters and for the studio as it works to fulfil Hytale’s early promise.
Players wanting to get involved in Hytale’s early access have three options, with Hypixel currently selling a $23.99 USD standard edition, a $41.99 Supporter Edition, and an $83.99 Founder’s Edition on its site – with the latter two versions including a selection of additional cosmetic outfits and capes.