Hytale lead isn't putting his Minecraft competitor on Steam at launch because "everything is wrong" with it, and Palworld lead "totally" understands his hesitance

After regaining the rights to Hytale from Riot Games, creator Simon Collins-Laflamme says the reason it's not releasing on Steam at launch is because "everything is wrong with the game," and he's "just being honest." Palworld designer and Pocketpair Publishing manager John 'Bucky' Buckley, supports the decision, saying he "totally" understands where the dev "is coming from."

Riot Games canceled the Minecraft-esque blocky sandbox this summer, but recently sold the rights to Collins-Laflamme so it could be revived. Hytale was far from finished when the project was canned, but the developer made the purchase knowing that there was still a long road ahead.

Collins-Laflamme has consistently warned us that Hytale is in a rough state, but has still decided to launch it in early access on January 13, 2026. During this early access period, the team will be consistently working on the game, and taking feedback from the community in order to make improvements.

While many games decide to use the largest PC storefront Steam for the early access period, the Hytale devs have decided to skip Valve's platform for fear of negative reviews, and of losing players before the game is ready. "Everything is wrong with the game," Collins-Laflamme now writes, responding to a dubious Twitter user wondering what problems the game might have. "Literally why I'm not putting it up on Steam brother."

Palworld's Bucky backs up the Hytale developer writing, "it's a really hard decision to make, but I totally get where Simon is coming from. The reality is, a majority of gamers on Steam play the game once, review it and then never look back. You have to be pretty confident with the state of the game before pressing that 'Publish'!"

Collins-Laflamme responds, saying he's "just being honest and saying what many other game devs are thinking."

Bucky supports the move, adding that while "it'll sting now," it's a positive long-term decision. "In time your honesty and willingness to be transparent will make you guys one of the most beloved around," he believes. It's still going to be a long time before Hytale is polished and ready, but we're along for the ride.

Minecraft lead says "I'm looking forward to Hytale" personally, but tells curious fans "there are many Minecraft-like games, so I doubt it will change much for us."