Hytale is priced so "aggressively low" that its returning owner is "taking on a considerable personal risk," but "charging more didn't feel right" because "I don't think the game is good yet"

Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme is taking one for the team by pricing his Minecraft-inspired survival game Hytale at $20 – lower than the price of Minecraft itself on PC.

Collins-Laflamme reacquired the rights to Hytale from Riot Games this week in a triumphant moment for the developers and fans who've been following the project for some 10 years, but it sounds like it needs a lot of work before it's ready for an early access launch – and the newly revealed and notably modest price tag is a reflection of its underbaked state.

"I'm pricing Hytale as aggressively low as possible. I'm taking on a considerable personal risk after repurchasing the game and getting it ready for early access for a growing team of now 50 talented individuals. I said I was all in, and I am delivering on that promise," Collins-Laflamme said on Twitter.

"The game is unfinished and runs on a build from over four years ago," he added. "Charging more didn't feel right."

Collins-Laflamme also echoed what he's said previously about the state of Hytale at the current moment, saying very frankly, "I don't think the game is good yet," but assuring fans, "my team and I will push hard to make it good, then great.

"The vision is clear and progress is fast. I want as many players as possible to jump in. Times are tough in the current economy for a lot of you, and I want everyone to have a fair chance to be part of what comes next."

In terms of a timeline, Collins-Laflamme has said he's working on "locking down the release date ASAP," but as he's now repeatedly stressed how much work there is to do to deliver a worthwhile product, I can't imagine that date being very close.

In the meantime, here are the best survival games you can play today.