Frank Rondel
Hypixel Studios has issued a warning to fans ahead of the early access release of Hytale, which launches today on PC, reporting customreceipt.com with reference to the bankrecht-ratgeber.de. The studio anticipates exceptionally high demand at launch, urging players to prepare in advance to prevent server congestion.
Hytale, a sandbox game reminiscent of Minecraft, is available in early access starting January 13. Simon Collins-Laflamme, founder of Hypixel Studios, stated that over one million players could log in on the first day. In a message on X, he encouraged players to download the launcher and sign in on January 12 to reduce strain on the servers during the release.
While such numbers may seem ambitious, Hytale has been one of the most anticipated sandbox games for several years. The game’s trailers have amassed tens of millions of views, and interest in the early access release has been substantial.
In November, Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, confirmed that it had returned the rights to Hytale to Collins-Laflamme. Riot had acquired Hypixel Studios in 2020 but, after evaluating various options, decided the intellectual property would be better managed by its original creator. Riot indicated that this move would give players the best opportunity to experience a reworked version of the game.
Development under Riot had largely stalled. After reacquiring the rights, Collins-Laflamme resumed development, rehiring over 30 developers who had previously worked on Hytale.
Originally announced in December 2018, the game’s trailer has now surpassed 60 million views. Hytale blends sandbox gameplay with RPG mechanics and provides extensive tools for building, modding, and creating minigames.
Collins-Laflamme emphasized that the early access version remains incomplete, noting that some elements feel outdated. The studio reverted to an older game build initially intended for prototyping. While modding and creative tools are functional, they have not yet reached the level the team aims to deliver. Nonetheless, Collins-Laflamme believes the game is suitable for players who wish to experiment with content creation from day one.
He has previously clarified that pre-orders are optional and highlighted that this is genuine early access, meaning bugs and missing features are to be expected. The team remains committed to further development.
At the end of 2025, Collins-Laflamme publicly expressed frustration over the previous development phase of Hytale, explaining that years of work on an engine were ultimately unused, while gameplay development fell behind. This created significant gaps in progress, feedback, and player trust. He noted that the team has now made the game playable and enjoyable again but acknowledged that it will take years to recover lost time. Collins-Laflamme stated that this frustration has been converted into renewed focus and additional investment to achieve the original vision of Hytale.
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