The Real Deal Behind Hytale's Demise: An Inside Scoop from Ex-Developers
Former Hytale developers claimed that the game was approximately two years away from release in 2019, boasting "systems more advanced than Minecraft". However, these advanced systems were modified under unrealistic ambitions.
In the wake of thecancelation of Minecraft-inspired sandbox RPG, Hytale, Simon Collins-Laflamme, the original founder of Hypixel Studios and owner of the Hypixel server Network, sheds some light on what went wrong. Collins-Laflamme, who worked on the project from 2016 to 2019, reports that the game was nearing the two-year mark from potential public release when Hypixel Studios was sold to Riot Games.
"During my time on Hytale, it was probably at most 2 years away from a PC release with the legacy engine and vision," Collins-Laflamme said in a lengthy Twitter post. "I still have videos, screenshots, and old client builds to prove it."
Collins-Laflamme was responding to a post from former Hytale principal engineer, Kevin Carstens, who implied feature creep was the root cause of the game's prolonged troubles. "Systems that were already far ahead of Minecraft at the time were completely re-invented to make them 'even better', but it resulted in fuck all," Carstens said frankly.
Collins-Laflamme admits that he's unsure of "exactly what happened in the past few years," but highlights that during his tenure, the team was relentlessly driven and making rapid progress. "The momentum was insane," he shared. "Tons of gameplay elements were getting introduced every week, and the game was shaping up quickly towards release."
This assessment echoes the sentiments of the disheartened Hytale community, who've expressed disappointment that the studio could have possibly released something and iterated upon it in an Early Access format, instead of focusing on perfection.
Former Hytale dev, Sphax, who worked on the game during its early development days, seems to verify some promising features that were in the works, like in-game blocks streaming video, real-time block painting, submerged blocks, and playable mini-games on a single block. Sphax said in a thread:
"Back then, Hytale's ambition kept ballooning; the story mode grew bigger and bolder. In hindsight, I wonder if ambition without guardrails eventually sank the project..."
Carstens also elaborated that the project could likely have hit the market "with Hypixel-style minigames + modding suite, but without a story/campaign in 2021" had production and design not begun to "torpedo the potential due to their unrealistic ambitions."
Collins-Laflamme addressed a Hytale fan who was mourning the game's cancellation, stating that there "are no other games like this" and the "amount of content in the game was immense."
"Everyone loses by not getting Hytale," Collins-Laflamme shared. "Even those who are capitalizing to promote their games this week in the replies/other soc meds would have greatly learned from what was accomplished. A unique artistic experience that only a handful of people got the chance to be a part of."
In a separate post, Collins-Laflamme emphasized that the issues were all internal, and players shouldn't be mad at Riot Games. "The issues were all internal," Collins-Laflamme reiterated. "The reasons for the game's cancellation stemmed from the escalating ambitions, the overly complex and shifting vision, and the inability to bring the game to completion at the quality level the team aspired to."
- Despite the cancellation of Hytale, simulations suggest that it could have been released as an action-packed sandbox RPG with Hypixel-style minigames and a modding suite in 2021.
- Collins-Laflamme, the former founder of Hypixel Studios, shares that the game was in the final stages of development, with numerous gameplay elements already in place and the game shaping up towards a PC release.
- Sphax, a former Hytale developer, mentions exciting features that were planned for the game, such as in-game blocks streaming video, real-time block painting, submerged blocks, and playable mini-games on a single block.
- In the technology sphere, news about the demise of Hytale has sparked conversations about the risks of unrealistic ambitions and the importance of maintaining a clear, focused vision in game development.
- The cancellation of Hytale has left a significant gap in the market for console, adventure, and RPG games, as the game's unique blend of features and creative elements were highly anticipated by gamers and technology enthusiasts alike.
