According to engadget, Hytale will launch in early access for just $20, with developer Hypixel Studios admitting the game “isn’t good yet.” The studio announced it successfully reacquired the rights from Riot Games this week after the project was originally cancelled in June 2025 following five years of development. Hypixel Studios co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme explicitly stated he’s “pricing Hytale as aggressively low as possible” because the game is unfinished and runs on a build from over four years ago. Alongside the $20 Standard edition, the studio will offer $35 Supporter and $70 Cursebreaker editions with additional cosmetics. Riot Games had purchased Hypixel Studios during an expansion period that included their Riot Forge publishing label, which was eventually sunset in 2024 alongside mass layoffs.
The refreshing honesty behind the price
Here’s the thing – you don’t often see this level of transparency from game developers. Simon Collins-Laflamme’s direct admission that “I don’t think the game is good yet” is basically unheard of in an industry that typically oversells early access titles. Most developers would try to spin this as “foundational” or “building blocks for greatness,” but he’s just straight-up telling people they’re buying an unfinished product that runs on ancient code.
And honestly? That’s probably smart. Gamers have become increasingly skeptical of early access titles that promise the moon but deliver barely functional tech demos. By setting expectations this low and pricing accordingly, Hypixel might actually build more goodwill than if they’d charged $40 and pretended everything was polished. The $20 price point feels like paying for the privilege of watching development happen rather than buying a finished game.
The Riot Games rollercoaster
This whole situation reveals just how messy corporate acquisitions can get in gaming. Riot bought Hypixel Studios during their expansion phase, which included the Riot Forge publishing initiative for League of Legends spinoffs. But then 2024 hits – Riot Forge gets sunset, mass layoffs happen, and suddenly Hytale doesn’t fit their strategy anymore. So they cancel it in June 2025 after five years of work and a “major reboot of the game engine.”
Now the original developers get their baby back, but they’re inheriting a project that’s been through corporate restructuring, engine changes, and probably some serious development whiplash. The fact that they’re working with a four-year-old build suggests Riot’s “major reboot” might not have gone as planned. It makes you wonder – how much of those five years of development actually survived the various corporate decisions?
What early access actually means here
When Hypixel says “unfinished,” they really mean it. The recently shared footage and the admission about the ancient build suggests this isn’t your typical “mostly complete but needs polishing” early access situation. This sounds more like they’re essentially starting over with community input, which raises an interesting question: Are they selling access to a game, or selling people on participating in the development process?
The tiered pricing strategy is telling too. The $35 Supporter and $70 Cursebreaker editions with cosmetics feel like they’re targeting the superfans who want to fund the vision rather than just play a game. It’s a different approach – instead of pretending the game is further along than it is, they’re being upfront about the state of things and asking players to buy into the potential rather than the current reality.
Basically, they’re treating this more like a Patreon with gameplay benefits than a traditional game launch. And given how burned gamers have been by overpromised early access titles recently, that honesty might just pay off.
