Hytale has already generated enough revenue from pre-purchases to fund the next two years of development, giving the long-delayed sandbox RPG rare financial stability ahead of its highly anticipated early access launch.
Hytale has secured enough funding to cover its next two years of development before it has even officially launched.
In a post on social media, Simon Collins-Laflamme, founder of Hypixel Studios, confirmed that pre-orders of the action/sandbox title’s early access editions have already paid for the studio’s short-term future.
He said: “The next two years of dev costs are now covered. Combined with my personal commitment of 10 years, we are looking very strong for the future.”
Three paid editions are available ahead of release, ranging from a $23.99 Standard Edition to an $83.99 Founder’s Edition, and the studio now employs more than 50 developers.
Collins-Laflamme added Hytale – which launches on January 13, 2026 – is expecting over one million players to log in to the early access when it releases.
The momentum is striking given Hytale’s turbulent history.
First revealed in 2018 with a trailer that racked up tens of millions of views, the Minecraft-inspired sandbox game quickly became one of the most anticipated indie projects of the decade.
That hype helped attract investment from Riot Games, which acquired Hypixel Studios in 2020.
However, progress slowed dramatically under Riot’s ownership, with years spent rebuilding core technology rather than expanding gameplay.
In late 2025, Riot sold the Hytale IP back to Collins-Laflamme, arguing it gave the game its best chance of survival.
The founder later described the project as “barely playable” when he regained control, citing broken systems across combat, movement and progression.
Since then, development has shifted aggressively toward shipping playable builds and rebuilding community trust.
The early access release is positioned as the first tangible result of that pivot, giving players hands-on access while funding continued work.
Hytale earns enough money to cover development costs for next two years before its even launched
