Hypixel Studios co-founder Noxy said the decision came after exhausting every possible option.
Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, VALORANT, Wild Rift, and TeamFight Tactics, is cancelling its upcoming sandbox RPG Hytale and closing down Hypixel Studios, the subsidiary company that was working on said game.
Hytale was first unveiled in 2018, by which time it had already been in development “for several years.” Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends, acquired Hypixel Studios in 2020. Although a 2021 release was initially targeted, it was later delayed to 2023 “at the earliest,” before being postponed once again the following year.
The announcement on the game’s cancellation and the studio’s closing was made on the Hytale website by co-founder Aaron ‘Noxy’ Donagheyon 23 June.
Hytale cancelled as Hypixel Studios begins to wind down
“Today, I shared some incredibly tough news with the Hypixel Studios team: we’re ending development on Hytale and beginning the process of winding down Hypixel Studios over the next few months,” Noxy wrote.
He explained that the decision came after exhausting every possible option. Despite a full reboot of the game’s engine and numerous shifts in scope and direction, Hytale still “wasn’t as far along as it needed to be.” While the team considered scaling back or adjusting timelines, each alternative “would have meant compromising on what made Hytale special in the first place.”
The challenge, Noxy noted, was not just technical but emotional: “Game development is brutally hard, especially when you’re trying to build something original that speaks to a creative, passionate community.” He acknowledged how the project’s ambitions continued to grow even as the genre evolved around them, ultimately raising the bar beyond what the team could realistically meet.
“This is a painful decision,” he admitted. “We still believe in Hytale. We believe in the team, and are forever grateful to every member, past or present, who poured their love into the game.”
Noxy also expressed deep appreciation to Riot Games, which acquired Hypixel Studios in 2020, for its unwavering support throughout the project’s lifecycle. He described Riot’s role in the wind-down process as both “thoughtful” and “human,” highlighting their effort to support the team with severance packages and transition resources.
“To our community: thank you,” he added. “Your belief in Hytale kept us going through thick and thin.” Though the game will not be released, he said the team still believes in what it represented and the creative potential of the genre.
“Even though we’re closing this chapter, the spirit of Hytale and everything we hoped it could be will stay with us,” Noxy wrote. “We’re proud of what we built, and we’ll carry those lessons forward into whatever comes next.”
Noxy also reassured players that the popular Hypixel Minecraft server will remain unaffected, as it operates separately from the studio.
