Hytale's mammoth pre-orders have covered "the next two years of development," proving the Minecraft challenger is really here to stay

As I write this, we’re about 24 hours away from Hytale‘s debut. Once a custom Minecraft server, it’s on a quest to also become one of the best building games ever made, sporting a similar appearance and sandbox approach but with a greater focus on fantasy adventuring and being an even more versatile experience for modders and creators. Squaring up to Minecraft, though, is a tall order, but the Hytale hype has been strong enough that I’ve always felt it had a chance. However, I’m now more confident than ever, based on new information from Hypixel Studios’ founder, who says that he anticipates at least a million players on launch day. Plus, Hytale’s development costs for the next two years have already been covered by the cash generated through pre-sales.

Development on Hytale began over ten years ago, and naturally, that kind of wait for a project this ambitious is going to generate some buzz. But it’s also worth noting that the last six months or so have been a captivating whirlwind. Previously under the stewardship of League of Legends maker Riot Games since 2020, Hytale was trapped in development purgatory – we hadn’t seen any progress or heard any new details about it for a long, long time. On hearing Riot was pulling the plug, Simon Collins-Laflamme – part of the original Hypixel team and now the CEO of the studio – miraculously purchased Hytale off of Riot, spun development up again, and embarked on an ambitious new plan to get it in players’ hands ASAP and build it alongside the community.

Hytale’s story, and (like Minecraft) the seemingly endless possibilities its blocky sandbox offers, could now see it become one of the biggest releases of 2026 – and we’re less than two weeks in. When the Hytale launch time arrives tomorrow, Tuesday January 13, it’ll finally be playable to the masses. Over the weekend, Collins-Laflamme boldly declared (seemingly based on Hypixel’s pre-registrations) that “we expect over one million players on the early access release day,” encouraging players to download its bespoke launcher and log in ahead of time – go do that now, if you’ve pre-ordered and don’t want to fight your way through too long a server queue…

That was already an incredibly positive indicator, but now Collins-Laflamme has demonstrated just how much of an impact all of those pre-orders have had.

“Pleased to announce that we have officially secured the next two years of development costs through pre-purchases. Combined with my personal commitment of ten years, we are looking very strong for the future. Thank you all for the support. Hytale is saved. We are almost home.”

So, if Mojang had any hope of this Minecraft challenger being a flash in the pan, that’s probably just evaporated. Hytale looks like it’s here to stay.

While Hytale was already fortunate to have the long-term, personal backing of Collins-Laflamme, knowing it’s got the next couple of years covered will no doubt release even more pressure. It’s the kind of comfortable situation I’m sure many, many developers would love to find themselves in the day before their new game comes out.