Hytale Creator Admits Early Access Isn’t Ready — Promises The Real Deal When It Arrives

Hytale is officially back from the dead, but Simon Collins-Laflamme is not sugarcoating where things stand. The Hypixel co-founder says the game just is not good enough for Early Access yet, and when it does hit, it is going to be scrappy.

First, the comeback

Collins-Laflamme revealed this week that he has bought back the rights to Hytale from Riot Games. That comes roughly six months after Riot shut the project down and closed its development team. In the wake of the deal, he sat down with AntVenom to talk about the current state of the game and what comes next.

Where Hytale stands right now

The short version: it needs more time in the oven, and even the Early Access version is going to be pretty bare-bones. Collins-Laflamme is trying to keep expectations grounded.

"Let's set realistic expectations. Many features will be missing at launch. Minigames that were shown or talked about in the past won't be there on day one. There will be bugs, and it will feel like real Early Access. We will need the community to help us move forward."

"Right now, the game is not good enough in my opinion, and I'm aware of that."

• Expect missing features at Early Access launch
• Previously shown or discussed minigames will not be there on day one
• Bugs are expected, and the Early Access build will feel rough
• Community feedback is a core part of the plan to shape the game

Modding needs more love

Modding is a big pillar for Hytale, but it is not where Collins-Laflamme wants it yet. He says there is already a decent foundation, but more tools for modders, server owners, and map makers are on the to-do list.

"Modding already has a lot to offer, but we want to add more tools and features for modders, server owners, and map makers. There is so much missing, but we need to get the game out, we need to break the curse."

That last line is telling. After years of turbulent development and a shutdown, he is clearly trying to push the project into players' hands sooner rather than later.

Reading the tea leaves

This is the part that surprised me: the fact he is openly talking about release plans suggests a lot of the core systems survived both Hypixel's independent work and the Riot era. You do not start promising Early Access if the foundation is rubble. It sounds like the team is prioritizing getting a playable core out, then layering in the flashy stuff later.

So when can we play?

There is no Early Access date yet. The tone, though, is very much let's stop waiting and ship something.

"Hytale is back. Real talk: Hytale isn't some polished AAA release waiting in the wings. It's messy. It's janky. And there's a lot of work to be done. My plan? Get it out to you as soon as possible. No more waiting. You'll get to play it, rough edges and all. It won't be perfect on day one. My hope is that together, we'll shape it into something truly special."

Translation: do not expect a miracle build on day one, but do expect to get your hands on it sooner than later. And if you were dreaming about those headline-grabbing minigames at launch, plan on waiting a bit longer.