Hytale, the much-anticipated voxel sandbox RPG reminiscent of Minecraft, has officially entered early access after a decade of development challenges, cancellations, and an eventual revival. The excitement surrounding Hytale is evident; its initial announcement trailer has garnered an impressive 62 million views since its release in 2018, reflecting a strong demand among gaming enthusiasts.
Upon launching, Hytale quickly became the most-watched game on Twitch, drawing over 420,000 viewers across various streams, showcasing the immense interest from players eager to explore its block-based world. However, many of the first-day adventurers have reported unexpected challenges, including encounters with fierce bears that seem to be causing quite a ruckus in the game’s forested areas. This early feedback aligns with the experiences shared by PC Gamer staff, indicating that adjusting to this new environment might prove tougher than anticipated.
In a positive development for the game’s future, Hytale’s developer, Hypixel, revealed that pre-purchases had already covered the next two years of early access development costs. Though exact player count figures are not available, expectations are high, with Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme anticipating over one million players on launch day.
Interest in Hytale is soaring, as reflected in Google Trends, which shows a significant spike in global search queries in the last 24 hours. While early access launches often come with their share of technical difficulties, which are currently being addressed by the development team, it appears that the game’s popularity is resulting in a strain on infrastructure, causing delays for some players awaiting account verification emails. Despite these hurdles, the overwhelming interest is surely a welcome challenge for Hypixel, indicating that Hytale is poised for a successful journey ahead.