Hypixel purchased by Riot Games but says it will continue to work independently

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Hytale isn't going anywhere

(Image credit: Hypixel)

Hytale developer Hypixel has been acquired by League of Legends studio Riot Games.

As Hypixel explained in its own announcement, Riot was one of its earliest investors and has served as an advisor throughout the development of Hytale, the studio's block-building RPG. Not only that, several employees are former Riot members themselves. And while Hypixel is now joining Riot's stable, as studio co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme explained, it will "continue to operate in the same way as we have before, but Riot will become our parent company and we’ll gain access to their expertise and resources." 

Hypixel will put those resources to work soon by opening a physical studio in Northern Ireland, and while much of the team will still work remotely, it's looking to fill 20 studio positions to help maintain Hytale in the months and years ahead. After years of remote work, Collins-Laflamme believes this partnership and studio will "help the studio take another leap forward in our journey from mod team to professional developers, and allow the team to realize our vision for Hytale." 

For its part, Riot stressed that it's had its eye on Hypixel since it first invested in it, and studio president Dylan Jadeja affirmed that "we look forward to supporting Hypixel Studios’ journey through the development process, helping them grow, and learning from them as well." 

In other words, this acquisition shouldn't hamper Hytale's development or Hypixel's vision for it, as some fans of the game have worried. If anything, it should expedite its development considerably, and perhaps give Hypixel room for more ambitious features. 

"We’ve spent a year figuring out the most responsible way to secure the resources we need to deliver the best game we can make," said Hypixel CEO Aaron Donaghey. "Now that we’ve answered that question, we can focus on the really important part: finishing the actual game!"

Check out the Edge Hytale preview for more on what makes this voxel RPG so special.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.