Hytale, the blocky fantasy take on Minecraft's sandbox gameplay, is in new hands. After Riot Games cancelled the project following years in development, original owner Simon Collins-Laflamme bought back the rights and finally has an early access release date set. But his marketing strategy is, urm, unconventional, to say the least. In a release date announcement post, the returning Hytale owner said "this is true early access, meaning it's still very much unfinished and broken," but like, only for now. "You have my and the team's commitment to make Hytale the game we've always wanted it to be. The game isn't good yet; eventually, it will be. If you don't feel comfortable pre-ordering or participating in Early Access, please don't." Part of the problem is that the team are returning to a build from four years ago to continue the vision laid out in Hytale's viral 2018 trailer, so some elements are obviously behind or outdated. "The first impression will be rough, but the path ahead matters more." Hytale early access release date set for January 2026 just weeks after it's reacquired by original founders, following 5 years and cancellation at Riot: "If you don’t feel comfortable pre-ordering, please don't" "We inherited a true hardcore engineering and design challenge": Hytale co-director "genuinely" means it when he says the sandbox RPG is "not good enough" right now "Hytale is saved": Riot sells Hytale back to Hypixel founders, who promise 10 years of support, an early access date soon, and a return to the "original vision" This is far from the first time Collins-Laflamme has tempered expectations for the long-awaited sandbox game, though. Earlier this month, he said the game "is not good enough." Then, he said Hytale would be priced aggressively as he didn't feel comfortable charging more because he didn't think "the game is good yet." And, again, he said the game's "not good enough" - all within the span of a month. As amusing as it might be, I do think Collins-Laflamme is probably smart to keep expectations in check since people have been waiting to try Hytale for years. If it launches in a better state than expected, great. Otherwise, at least people will be understanding of the fact that it's a work in progress. Hytale launches into Early Access on January 13, 2026 on PC. Hytale is "coming together at last" according to dev, who says 60 playtesters have just given the Minecraft-inspired game their stamp of approval: "Long way to go but momentum is key"