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Hytale will cost $20 because it isn't good yet.
In a move that's got the gaming community buzzing harder than a raid night Discord chat, Hypixel Studios just dropped some massive news about Hytale, their long-awaited, more action-packed answer to Minecraft. They've announced that when the game finally relaunches into early access, it'll carry a surprisingly modest $20 price tag for its 'Standard' edition.For the real simps and superfans, there are also a $35 'Supporter' pack and a whopping $70 'Cursebreaker' edition loaded with extra cosmetics, because what's a modern game launch without some drip to flex, right? The real tea, straight from the co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme's X feed, is that this aggressively low price is a straight-up admission that the game ain't ready for a full-priced debut. He came out and said it with a level of honesty you rarely see from big studios: 'The game is unfinished and runs on a build from over four years ago.Charging more didn't feel right. I don't think the game is good yet.' That's a major W for transparency, honestly. It’s like when a streamer plays a janky pre-alpha build and just owns it instead of pretending it's a flawless experience.This whole saga has been a rollercoaster worthy of a lore-heavy RPG. Remember, Hytale was originally cancelled by Riot Games back in June 2025 after five years of development and what was described as a 'major reboot of the game engine.' Riot had gone on a buying spree a few years prior, snapping up Hypixel Studios during its expansion era that also saw the birth of the Riot Forge label for League of Legends spinoffs like Ruined King. But then the corporate axe swung in 2024 with mass layoffs and the sunsetting of Riot Forge, leaving Hytale's future looking deader than a dropped carry in a team fight.The fact that Hypixel managed to buy back the IP rights and get the band back together—a growing team of 50 devs, as Collins-Laflamme noted—is a legit comeback story. They even dropped some fresh footage the day after the deal was announced, giving everyone a hit of that sweet, sweet copium.This pricing strategy is a fascinating play. By setting the bar at twenty bucks, they're effectively framing this early access period as a true collaborative beta, inviting players to join the development journey without the pressure of a AAA price tag.It builds community goodwill and manages expectations in a way that a $70 launch followed by a barrage of 'this is unplayable' Steam reviews never could. It’s a savvy, almost old-school approach that harkens back to the early days of indie Minecraft itself, which grew through word-of-mouth and player feedback.The different tiers also cleverly monetize the most dedicated part of the fanbase who have been waiting years for this, letting them financially support the project's revival in a more substantial way. In a landscape where games are often released broken and patched later, this upfront humility is a refreshing change of pace.The success of this gambit will depend entirely on whether the core community bites and whether Hypixel can deliver on the immense promise that has kept Hytale relevant in gaming conversations for so long, even through its development hell. The next few months in early access will be the real boss fight.
#Hytale
#Minecraft
#early access
#game pricing
#Hypixel Studios
#Riot Games
#video game development
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