With Minecraft’s Biggest Competitor Canceled After 7 Years, The Door Has Been Firmly Shut

Hypixel Inc., the company behind the massively popular Minecraft server of the same name, announced in late 2018 that it was working on Hytale, its first-ever standalone video game. Hytale was described as a voxel-based sandbox game with procedurally-generated worlds that players could freely explore and build in. It was, in every sense, intended to be a direct competitor to Minecraft. Unlike Mojang’s blockbuster title, however, Hytale had a distinctly fantasy-inspired setting, and it was said to feature RPG mechanics in its combat. Hypixel Inc. claimed that the game would be filled with unique biomes, dungeons, and mobs, as well as minigames akin to the ones in the Hypixel Minecraft server.

Hytale immediately caught the attention of many Minecraft fans, with the announcement trailer for the game receiving over 31 million views on YouTube. After it blew up in popularity, Riot Games, the Tencent-backed company behind League of Legends, expressed great interest in Hytale and decided to acquire Hypixel Studios, the subsidiary of Hypixel Inc. that was working on the game, in April 2020. Riot and Hypixel Studios were originally eyeing a 2021 launch for Hytale, but after it was hit by delay after delay, the companies decided to scrap the game entirely. With Hytale scrapped, Minecraft‘s spot on the throne will likely go uncontested for a long time to come.

Why a Minecraft Competitor is Easier Said Than Done

Many have tried, but no developer has succeeded in recapturing the sheer popularity, accessibility, and cultural relevance of Minecraft.

Now that Hytale is Out of the Picture, A Major Competitor to Minecraft Likely Won’t be Released Anytime Soon

Hytale Has Been Canceled After Being in Development for 10 Years

Earlier this week, Hypixel Studios announced that Hytale had officially been canceled. As a result of this decision, the company confirmed that it would be shut down in the coming months, as well. Despite being in development for approximately a decade, Hypixel Studios said that it hadn’t made enough progress on Hytale and couldn’t bring the game “to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.” Hytale, it seemed, was far too ambitious for its own good, and the developers of the title weren’t able to create a cohesive vision for it in the end.

The abrupt cancellation of Hytale is frankly surprising in more ways than one. Hypixel Studios released an extensive development update on the game only a few months ago, and it even had plans to release a beta for it in the near future. On top of all this, the company’s acquisition by Riot Games had seemingly provided a massive safety net for both it and Hytale. With all the backing it had received from Riot, Hypixel Studios could’ve realized its plans for Hytale without having to compromise them due to budgetary restraints. In spite of all these advantages, though, the company still wasn’t able to bring its game out of development hell.

Unlike Other Minecraft Clones, Hytale Could Have Given Minecraft Some Serious Competition

Out of all the upcoming sandbox games out there, Hytale really felt like the only title that could have legitimately competed with Minecraft. Although it’s highly unlikely that it would have ever come close to selling as well as Mojang’s hit sandbox title did, Hytale looked like the most comprehensive alternative to Minecraft out there. It was supposed to contain pretty much everything that Minecraft offered, including extensive mod support and multiplayer servers, in addition to a plethora of other features. Now that it’s been canceled, however, the chances of a serious contender to Minecraft ever being made have become very slim.

While there are plenty of Minecraft clones out there, most of them haven’t gained enough popularity to make a significant impact on the sandbox genre. Many of these titles have been designed for mobile platforms first and foremost, and they usually don’t have the same depth as Minecraft in most regards. There’s been a notable lack of AAA Minecraft competitors in the industry, as well; so far, the majority of Minecraft clones have been created by independent developers with relatively limited budgets. As a blockbuster project that was being funded by a massive company like Riot Games, Hytale had the best chance at breaking into the mainstream and stealing some of Minecraft‘s spotlight. Unfortunately, though, no upcoming sandbox game will probably be able to achieve this goal anytime soon.