Hypixel Studios develops Hytale, a community-focused block-based sandbox and RPG game. The game runs on PC as an online multiplayer world where players explore, build, and go on shared adventures, with content and updates from the studio and the community. It differentiates itself through deep ties to the Hypixel server community, a focus on player-created content, and an independent funding path after prior ownership by Riot Games. Its goal is to provide a long-lasting, community-driven online world that players can create, explore, and enjoy together, with ongoing development and support.
Work here?Claim your company
Industries
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Seed
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Derry, United Kingdom
Founded
2018
See people who can refer or advise you
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Hytale ships Chapter I after cancellation, buyback, and a decade's wait. Nine months after entering early access, and more than a year after Riot Games shut the project down entirely, Hytale's first major content update went live on October 12 with new dungeons, a goblin-themed storyline, and a $15,000 bounty on its toughest boss. Hytale's Chapter I, subtitled "Out of the Breach," launched globally on October 12, bringing new dungeons, gadgets, and minigames to a game that was declared dead sixteen months ago. For a project that has spent most of its existence as a trailer rather than a product, shipping an actual content update is itself the headline. The update arrives nine months after Hytale entered early access on PC in January 2026, which itself came more than seven years after the game was first announced in December 2018 to a trailer that pulled over 31 million views in its first month. A decade of false starts. Hytale was supposed to be playable in 2021. It wasn't. Scope kept growing, release dates kept moving, and in July 2024 the developers admitted they were migrating the entire game to a new engine, the kind of decision that resets a production clock rather than advances it. Former developers would later describe the project's ambitions as unrealistic. Riot Games had owned the studio outright since April 2020, when Hypixel Studios employed more than forty people out of a newly announced headquarters in Derry, Northern Ireland, under co-founder and chief executive Aaron "Noxy" Donaghey. Cancelled, then bought back. In June 2025, Donaghey announced that Riot and Hypixel Studios were pulling the plug entirely. "we're ending development on Hytale and beginning the process of winding down Hypixel Studios over the next few months." Laid-off staff were offered severance and help finding new jobs. The separate Hypixel Minecraft server, unrelated to the game itself, kept running. For a game that had already outlasted most people's patience, it looked like the end. "We did it. Hytale is saved. We have acquired Hytale from Riot Games." Hypixel Studios bought back its own intellectual property from Riot and rehired 30 of the staffers who had been let go during the shutdown. Two months later, the game was in early access, surpassing one million players shortly after launch. Chapter I: out of the Breach. Chapter I is the first major expansion since that January launch, and it moves the sandbox game further toward RPG gameplay, with goblins at the heart of the chapter. It opens in an area called the Forgotten Temple, which the developers have set up as a hub players will return to as future chapters arrive. Hypixel confirmed the release date on September 24 with a teaser showing off the new biomes, dungeons, and the chapter's headline boss fight, and the update went live as planned on October 12. What Chapter I adds: * New dungeons built around the goblin storyline * Additional gadgets and crafting options * New minigames * A hub area, the Forgotten Temple, meant to anchor later chapters * A marquee boss encounter, the Gobliterator The Gobliterator bounty. Ahead of launch, Collins-Laflamme put his own money behind the chapter's centerpiece fight, offering a $15,000 bounty tied to the Gobliterator boss, a stunt that got the challenge discussed and answered across fan comment sections in the days leading up to release. It's a small gesture relative to a decade of delays and a studio that briefly didn't exist, but it doubles as a signal: the people who bought their own game back from Riot Games are betting players will actually show up to fight it.
Hytale devs tease magic system, mod support and more ahead of Chapter 1 update. Hytale's developers have shared a major progress update, confirming that Chapter 1 is on track to launch within the next two to three months. The update marks a shift towards RPG-style systems, including magic-based combat, giving players more structured progression alongside the game's existing sandbox elements. In the accompanying blog post, the team explains that Chapter 1 is designed to broaden what players can do moment-to-moment, adding new activities, mechanics and systems that push Hytale beyond crafting, building and survival. Magic is the headline addition, but Chapter 1 also lays the groundwork for future chapters by introducing new tech, new content pipelines and expanded gameplay loops. The blog post also confirms that official mod support is finally on the way. A Mod Browser will arrive as part of Update 6, scheduled for release in the next few weeks, alongside Spectator Mode, Hardcore Mode, moving platforms and early implementation of cubic chunks. Some Chapter 1 features, such as real transparency and carryable objects, may ship ahead of schedule if the underlying tech is ready sooner. Beyond Chapter 1, the developers outlined a broader timeline covering features in active development. Minigames, machinima tools and a new server-side custom UI system based on NoesisGUI are expected within the next few months. Larger changes, including a full crafting rework planned for Chapter 2, remain further out. Other items like volumetric clouds, Runeforging and an overhaul of the Hytale Asset Editor are still in development with no confirmed release window yet. KitGuru Says: Hypixel is making swift progress on Hytale after splitting off from Riot Games. Are you excited for the upcoming updates?
Hytale's fifth update is here with scripting tools for modders, server discovery, and controller support. May 26, 2026 1:30 PM It's patch day for early access MMORPG platform Hytale, as Hypixel Studios has released Update 5. Not too shabby for game that a year ago was in limbo and then canceled before a daring rescue by its OG founders. "Update 5 is out!" the devs write. "Headlining the release is the new Trigger Volume Tool for scripting encounters in-game without code, alongside controller support, Server Discovery for browsing community servers, a new Social Sidebar with a friends list and Discord integration!" OK, so what the heck is a trigger volume tool and why does it need to be capitalized? Basically, it's a tool for modders and builders, and if you're just a play, you don't need to worry about it - though you can also probably see the benefits. "The Trigger Volume Tool allows you to place persistent 3D volumes that trigger configurable effects when conditions are met, such as when players enter or exit them, or break blocks within them. Volumes are saved to the world and can be included in prefabs, enabling scripted encounters, environmental effects, area transitions, and other interactive moments without writing any code." The devs also usher in controller support - apparently "one of the most-requested features from the community" - though this version is temporary while the devs are working on a more permanent solution. Better compatibility, a gamepad UI, and ergonomic defaults are also en route. Perhaps most exciting for players is the long-awaited server discovery tool, which allows server operators to submit their custom servers, allows Hypixel to feature great ones, and allows players to find the right home. Hypixel does remind players that this is an update, not a chapter; the first chapter, which focuses on new content and mechanics, is still "in the works."
Hytale's modding gold rush: CurseForge and Hypixel Studios dangle $100K for next-level NPCs and biomes. Hypixel Studios and CurseForge have launched the "Hytale New Worlds Modding Contest," a $100,000 competition aimed at rewarding creators who build new assets, NPCs, creatures, biomes, bosses, and gameplay experiences for Hytale. Hytale is teaming up with its partner modding platform CurseForge, run by Overwolf, to launch a modding contest dubbed the "Hytale New Worlds Modding Contest." The modding competition comes with a lucrative $100,000 prize pool, which will be awarded to creators who keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in Hytale. The Hytale New Worlds Modding Contest aims to encourage players to create new assets, NPCs, creatures, biomes, or bosses. After Hytale launched into early access on 13 January, despite a bumpy development history and nearly being indefinitely shelved by Riot Games, the community has grown into one of the fastest-growing communities, with over 2 million downloads and over 5,000 mods already available on CurseForge. Simon Collins-Laflamme, CEO of Hypixel Studios, stated: "Games thrive long-term because of their communities, and Hytale's creators have already shown us that since launching into Early Access. Hypixel Studios is putting $100,000 behind this contest as a first step toward something much bigger to recognise and reward the people shaping Hytale's future." The CEO and co-founder of Overwolf (which operates CurseForge), Uri Marchand, chimed in as well and said: "The Hytale modding community had already proven what it's capable of with over 5,000 mods created and over 20 million mods downloaded. This contest is our way of doubling down on those creators, giving them a $100,000 reason to push World Gen NPCs and Experiences further than we've ever imagined." To celebrate this milestone, Hytale has split its New Worlds Modding Contest into three categories, each offering a total of $27,000 in prize money. First comes the WorldGen V2 category, where modders are encouraged to craft custom worlds with new regions, biomes, and zones using the game's visual node editor. The NPCs category invites modders to create new NPCs, bosses, and enemies, or update existing creatures with new behavioural patterns. Last but not least is the Experiences category, where modders can tinker with the game to create fun new ways to enjoy Hytale, such as minigames, increased difficulty, or overhauled gameplay systems with added skill trees and upgrade pathways. Each category splits the $27,000 prize pool: $10,000 for first place, $7,500 for second place, $2,500 for third place, and $1,000 for fourth through tenth. However, Hytale's New Worlds Modding Contest won't end there. Once mod finalists are selected, community members will get to vote on their favourite mods across all categories. The five mods with the most community votes will each receive $2,000. Enriching the prize pool, Hypixel Studios will throw in three surprise mid-contest drops during the submission period, handing over $300 to ten qualifying mods. That brings the total to 65 winners across multiple categories, giving modders from all niches a chance to win a hefty sum. Hytale, which has been in development since 2015, was released into early access inmid-January 2026. It is playable on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and users have even reported success playing it on Valve's Steam Deck (via Linux installers) despite it not officially being available on the Steam storefront.
Hypixel announces the PC requirements for Hytale. After many twists and turns, Hytale will finally be released in early access on January 13, 2026, on PC. Players will be able to access this version in development for around €20. Hypixel Studios has also looked into the system requirements for running its game. Suffice to say that most machines will be able to run it without too much problems. Minimum (1080p at 30 FPS). * Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1809), Windows 11 * Processor: Intel Core i5-7500 (or equivalent), AMD Ryzen 3 1200 (or equivalent) * RAM: 8 GB (Single-player mode, with dedicated graphics card), 12 GB (Single-player mode, with integrated graphics card), 8 GB (Multiplayer only) * Dedicated graphics card: NVIDIA GTX 900 series, AMD Radeon 400 series, Intel Arc A series / Integrated graphics card: Intel UHD 620, AMD Radeon Vega 3 * Storage: SATA SSD with 20 GB of free space * Network: 2 Mbit/s connection for multiplayer (UDP/QUIC compatible) Recommended (1080p at 60 FPS). * Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1809), Windows 11 * Processor: Intel Core i5-10400 (or equivalent), AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (or equivalent) * RAM: 16 GB * Dedicated graphics card: NVIDIA GTX 900 series, AMD Radeon 400 series, Intel Arc A series / Integrated graphics card: Intel Iris Xe, AMD Radeon 660M * Storage: SSD with 20 GB of free space * Network: 8 Mbit/s connection for multiplayer (UDP/QUIC compatible) Recommended for streamers (1440p at 60 FPS). * Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1809), Windows 11 * Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K (or equivalent), AMD Ryzen 7 3800X (or equivalent) * RAM: 32 GB * Graphics card: NVIDIA RTX 30 series, AMD Radeon RX 7000 series, Intel Arc A series * Storage: NVMe SSD with at least 10% (or 50 GB) of free space available
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today
We update Hypixel Studios's jobs every few hours, so check again soon!Browse all jobs
Industries
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Seed
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Derry, United Kingdom
Founded
2018
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today
We update Hypixel Studios's jobs every few hours, so check again soon!Browse all jobs