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"

The Minecraft-inspired sandbox RPG fans have waited nearly a decade for, Hytale, is finally set to launch into early access this upcoming January, but it turns out that fans aren't the only folks eager to play – so are Mojang developers themselves.

Well, at least Jens 'Jeb' Bergensten, the lead designer of Minecraft and chief creative officer of Mojang Studios, is. He reveals as much in a new online post, responding to questions on how he feels about Hytale's resurrection after Riot sold it back to Hypixel Studios – and how the community might see it as a "competitor" of sorts to Minecraft. "I'm looking forward to Hytale because I want to play it," Bergensten replies.

As for how he – and likely other Mojang developers – feel about it, Bergensten writes, "There are many Minecraft-like games, so I doubt it will change much for us." He's not wrong. The genre is overflowing with great titles, and it's not as though any of them have ever taken away from the 14-year-old charm Minecraft still boasts today. Plus, Hytale actually sort of has its origins in the sandbox gem, if you take Hypixel into account.

Thank you! I'm looking forward to Hytale because I want to play it. There are many Minecraft-like games, so I doubt it will change much for us. On the second question, I'll repeat my answer that I won't comment on future development plans.

— @jebox.bsky.social (@jebox.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-12-01T17:22:08.112Z

For anyone unaware, Hypixel is a popular Minecraft server that hosts minigames and all sorts of chaos. If you've watched Technoblade in the past or other big names in the community, you might know about it – and its creators, Simon Collins-Laflamme and Philippe Touchette, are two of the masterminds leading Hytale. It's not an official spin-off by any means of the server or Minecraft itself, but its roots are certainly evident.

Neither Bergensten nor other excited fans will have to wait too long now to dive into the magical world of Hytale, thankfully. Its early access date was set last week, marked for January 2026. Seeing as it's already December now, that doesn't leave much time until the Minecraft-inspired sandbox RPG title from Hypixel Studios arrives – and when it does, I have a feeling it'll make quite the impact on the genre.

Hytale's returning owner has hatched a genuinely ingenious marketing strategy: repeatedly telling everyone the game "isn't good," but like, only for now