Riot Games-owned developer Hypixel Studios is closing in the next few months, with development ending for the long-gestating game Hytale.

This news was shared in a statement by Hypixel Studios co-founder Aaron ‘Noxy’ Donaghey, who called the move “a painful decision”.

“This is not the outcome any of us – at Hypixel or at Riot – wanted. But after years of pushing forward, adapting, and exploring every possible path, it became clear we couldn’t bring Hytale to life in a way that truly delivered on its promise.”

Hytale – a Minecraft-style, RPG-infused sandbox game headed up by the modders behind the popular Hypixel server in Mojang’s game – was announced back in 2018. The reveal trailer has amassed 61 million views to date.

The statement says that Riot will support affected staff with “generous severance and resources to help them find what’s next”.

As for the decision behind cancelling Hytale, that’s explained by the “ambitious vision” for the game requiring a lot more time.

“Game development is brutally hard – especially when you’re trying to build something original that speaks to a creative, passionate community,” the statement reads. “Over time, as our vision evolved and the genre matured around us, the bar kept rising.

“Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn’t as far along as it needed to be. It became clear we’d need a lot more time to get it to a place where it could support the ambitious vision for the game.”

Despite references to an evolving vision and the bar being raised during development, the statement ultimately blames the cancellation of Hytale on not being able to live up to the game the developers originally wanted to make.

“We looked at reducing scope, adjusting timelines, and finding new angles to keep moving forward. But each of those options would have meant compromising on what made Hytale special in the first place. It wouldn’t have been the game we set out to make. And it wouldn’t have been the game you deserve.”

Hypixel Studios was acquired by Riot in April 2020, after the League of Legends developer and publisher invested in the project previously. At the time, it was expected that Hytale would be made available to play publicly in 2021.

The statement credits Riot for the years of support and opportunities it gave the studio, and that it backed Hypixel on finding new investment.

“They supported us in going out into the world to see if there were investors or acquirers who could continue to help carry Hytale forward.”

The existing Hypixel server for Minecraft will not be affected by the studio closure.