Last week, Riot Games announced it was pulling the plug on promising Minecraft-like sandbox game Hytale after over a decade of development. Since then, several notable names have been linked to possible revival efforts as fans search for a way the project could be saved, but now one of those name – Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone – has distanced himself from reports he could help resurrect Hytale.
Hytale, to give you the potted history, started development in 2015, and was an attempt by developer Hypixel to combine the mini-games found on its hugely popular eponymous Minecraft server with its own RPG-like, Minecraft-style sandbox experience, built from the ground up. It generated enough buzz that League of Legends developer Riot Games heavily invested in the project before acquiring Hypixel in 2020.
Last week, however, Riot announced it was ending development on the still-unreleased project as it “became clear we couldn’t bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.” At the time, there was suggestion Hypixel had unsuccessfully attempted to shop the game around to “investors or acquirers who could continue to help carry Hytale forward”, leading to employee layoffs and the studio’s imminent closure.
Fans, however, weren’t quite ready to give up after a ten year wait for Hytale, and took to social media in a bid to convince industry figures they should pitch in to help save the project. Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, for instance, was accosted on Discord by a fan eager to save Hytale. After receiving the sales pitch – “I assume this investment would pay out for you too” – Barone responded noncommittally, “Possibly, but I would have to hear more about what the plan is, why it failed initially (behind the scenes), etc.”