Stardew Valley Creator Shares New Comments on Canceled Minecraft-Inspired Game Hytale

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone (aka ConcernedApe) has clarified his comments regarding his potential involvement in helping the recently canceled Hytale, saying he’s not “actively doing anything” to save it but is open to the idea. Hytale’s cancellation has been disappointing for fans who had spent years waiting to see this ambitious Minecraft-inspired sandbox adventure come to life, and Barone’s recent comments may have shattered their hopes even further.

Hytale was first revealed in 2018 and was initially being developed by Hypixel Studios. The game promised an interesting blend of procedurally generated block worlds, RPG-style combat, dungeons, boss battles, and creative tools—which seemed very appealing for Minecraft-style game fans. In 2020, Riot Games acquired Hytale developer Hypixel Studios, and the game’s development stretched on for years, with the team even rebuilding the engine and making several changes. However, after nearly a decade of production delays, Hytale was recently canceled. The news came as a bucket of cold water for fans, as many had been following its development for years, and even the Stardew Valley creator seemed open to helping Hytale—though he has now clarified what he said.

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

Now that one of Minecraft’s biggest competitors has been canceled, Mojang Studio’s hit sandbox game will likely remain unrivaled for years to come.

During an interview with PC Gamer, Barone gave fans the unfortunate news that he is not currently doing anything to help the recently canceled game Hytale. However, he’s not completely closed off to the idea; as he added, “If something were presented to me, I would be open to entertaining the idea, that’s all.” Barone explained that he is currently very busy working on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, and can’t focus much on the Hytale situation right now.

Stardew Valley Creator Is Not ‘Actively Doing Anything’ to Help Hytale

While Barone’s involvement in the matter could definitely be beneficial for the game, there are also community efforts to save Hytale, with more than 1,500 fans calling for Hypixel or Riot Games to release a playable build of the canceled project. Despite the fans’ petition, the developer has not responded, though in the cancellation announcement, it said that, as Hytale stands now, it wouldn’t match the development team’s vision.

Hypixel’s co-founder has also expressed interest in buying back Hytale’s rights from Riot, offering $25 million because “that’s how much I believe in it.” He also said he would reduce the project’s scope, use the legacy engine, and aim for a PC release only at first, working with a small team while also promising to get the community involved in modding. While none of these attempts (including Barone’s involvement) guarantee that the game will actually be saved, there’s still a chance Hytale might avoid ending up completely dead.