Hytale Will Skip Steam at Launch to Prevent a Wave of Negative Reviews
Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme says that "everything is wrong with the game" at the moment.
If you were to tell me to compare Hypixel Studio and its Minecraft-inspired sandbox title Hytale to something, the first image that comes to mind is that of an ancient gladiator after the toughest fight of his life – wounded, beaten, bleeding, yet still alive and, by that virtue, victorious.
How wounded, you ask? Well, according to Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme, following the studio's shutdown by Riot Games, the game's cancellation, and the later reacquisition and revival of both, Hytale is in such rough condition right now that its developers think releasing the upcoming Early Access version on the biggest PC gaming storefront is not a particularly good idea.
In a Twitter thread discussing a clause from Hypixel's recently-released FAQ – which states the team won't launch the game on Steam at first to avoid a wave of negative reviews – Simon noted that "everything is wrong with the game" at the moment, and that this is precisely why the Steam version won't be available on day one.
When someone accused the studio of trying to sell the community an unfinished product while dodging a wave of thumbs-down, Simon pushed back, arguing that if that were his goal, he would actually do the opposite and put the game on Steam no matter its condition.
Instead, the developers plan to include a series of warnings clearly stating that Hytale's Early Access version will be nowhere near ready – the thread in question and the announcement of Hypixel's reacquisition already serving as such warnings – and still attempt to fund development through Early Access sales to avoid relying on outside investment. "Hytale needs to be in players' hands, not investors'," Simon says. "Players will decide if it's worthy."
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