Hytale, an indie game that succeeds Microsoft (MS)'s flagship sandbox game Minecraft, proved its box-office potential by drawing a massive user base as soon as it launched in early access after eight years of development. With improved graphics, gameplay, and mod support, it is also drawing attention for its long-term hit potential.
According to foreign media on the 18th local time, the co-founder of Hytale developer Hypixel Studios said that within a day of its launch on the 14th local time, the number of concurrent users reached 2.8 million. On the global game streaming platform Twitch, as many as 420,000 people watched on launch day, pushing it to No. 2 in overall viewership.
Hytale is an open-world survival crafting game created by the developers behind the famous Minecraft multiplayer server Hypixel. While keeping Minecraft's core structure of exploring and building in a cube-based block world, it sharply improves overall graphics quality and user convenience.
Combat and movement systems are also designed to be more dynamic, and it actively introduces role-playing game (RPG) elements to deliver a deeper play experience. Exploration, growth, and combat in its procedurally generated world are seen as more varied.
Hypixel Studios was founded in 2018 and was acquired in 2020 by Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, but after development delays, the studio was closed, putting the project at risk of being halted. The production team later reacquired the rights and the project, continued development, and, after about eight years, reached fruition with an early access launch.
However, it is currently in an unfinished early access stage, drawing criticism that it lacks sufficient content volume. Instead, the fact that it officially supports mods, opening the door to expansion through user-generated content, is seen as a strength.
Hytale can currently be purchased only through its official website, and whether it will launch on major platforms such as Steam or Epic Games, Inc. Store has not yet been decided.