Simon Collins-Laflamme isn’t sugarcoating it. When Hytale finally hits Early Access, it’ll be running on what he calls a “Frankensteined” build a patchwork of legacy code, over 300 prototypes, and barely any real progression. And yet, it’s launching anyway.

Hytale Early Access: broken, bare, but still happening

The long-delayed sandbox RPG from the former Hypixel crew is heading into Early Access priced at $20. And Collins-Laflamme, who recently bought the project back from Riot Games, is being brutally honest: this version of Hytale is “not good enough.” He’s not pretending otherwise. The current state of the game is unstable, missing core gameplay loops, and stitched together in just a few weeks from old builds and unfinished branches.

Still, he believes releasing it in this raw state is better than letting it rot. His strategy? Use the low price to pull in community feedback and rebuild momentum because at this point, profit isn’t the goal.

How Hytale came back from the dead

Hytale started back in 2015 with developers from Minecraft’s Hypixel server. It generated massive hype before Riot acquired Hypixel Studios in 2020. But after years of silence, Riot pulled the plug in mid-2025, shutting the studio down entirely.

That’s when Collins-Laflamme stepped in. He negotiated with Riot to buy back Hytale and the studio itself reportedly paying ten times its market value. On November 17, he confirmed the reacquisition. The original website came back online. And so did the dev team 30 of them, with more rehires planned.

What Early Access actually includes

Despite its limitations, the Early Access version won’t ship empty-handed. Players will get the basic sandbox experience, limited progression, and a sense of the game’s ambition. Hypixel Studios is offering three versions:

• Base edition – $20
• Premium edition – $30 (includes cosmetics)
• Deluxe edition – $50 (more cosmetics, likely future perks)

It’s a soft launch with sharp edges and one Collins-Laflamme admits could spark backlash. But he’s bracing for that.

Hytale’s future depends on the community, not a miracle patch

Collins-Laflamme made it clear he’s playing the long game. He knows the project might be mocked, written off as “doomed,” and slow to repay the mountain of money he’s poured into it. But for him, the early access isn’t about delivering a polished experience. It’s about giving the project room to breathe and proving that someone at the top still cares.

That alone doesn’t fix the game. But it might just save it.