Hypixel Studio Shut Down and Hytale Cancellation Announced by Riot

In hard-hitting news dated June 23, 2025, Riot Games confirmed that it has formally withdrawn its support for the block-based adventure title Hytale, which was being developed by Hipixel since 2015.

Prior to Hytale, Hipixel earned recognition for developing a custom server for Minecraft. The server gained early popularity within the Minecraft community which motivated the studio to begin work on their first independent title in 2015. The public announcement for Hytale was made on December 13, 2025, through a trailer that has amassed over 61 million views. Riot Games acquired Hipixel Studio on April 17, 2020, rekindling interest around the game. Originally planned for a 2021 launch, Hytale faced delays due to a switch to a new gaming engine and revamping of development. After a decade, Riot Games has decided to cancel the project.

The reasons for this tough decision are detailed in a post by Noxy, Co-Founder of Hipixel. Both the growing aspirations for the game and the ever-changing face of the industry outpaced the studio’s capabilities – a recurring narrative in a genre like MMORPG where smaller teams often underestimate the intricacies of developing online worlds.

Hytale isn’t the sole project of Riot Games caught in the loop of endless development. All eyes are now on the team heading the Riot MMORPG project hoping they can deliver and avert a similar fate.

An extract from the official cancellation statement:

Hey Everyone,

Today, I disclosed some incredibly hard news to the Hypixel Studios team: we’re ceasing development on Hytale and commencing the phased shutdown of Hypixel Studios over the coming months.

This is far from the outcome we – at Hypixel or at Riot – desired. After persistent efforts, adaptations, and exploring all available options, it became painfully apparent that we couldn’t actualize Hytale in a way that truly delivered on its potential.

Game development presents serious challenges – more so when you’re trying to create something unique that caters to a community that’s both creative and passionate. As our vision evolved and the genre continued evolving around us, the bar just kept getting higher. Our technical aspirations became more intricate, and despite rebooting the game’s engine, the team found that Hytale was lagging behind. The realization struck that we’d need considerably more time to develop it into a game that could fulfill the ambitious vision we hold for it…

Further Reading: Official Post