If you’re excited for the Hytale Chapter 1 update arriving this coming week, Hypixel Studios founder Simon Collins-Laflamme has just raised the stakes even further. The in-development sandbox RPG made it through the rocky road of acquisition, cancellation, and revitalization, and its early access is about to get its biggest upgrade yet. To celebrate, the studio head has just announced that players who buy its Cursebreaker Edition will get extra free copies of Hytale for each chapter that launches during its road to 1.0 release.
We’re just days from the launch of the first big content drop for Hytale. Built by Hypixel Studios, a team forged at the forefront of the Minecraft modding community, it aims to offer a more adventure-driven twist on the blocky sandbox game formula. It’s astonishing to think that we’re just 11 months from when Collins-Laflamme announced that he had acquired the rights to his team’s creation back from Riot Games, which had decided to shut the project down. Now, he’s just announced a bold incentive for early access owners.
“For every Hytale early access chapter we release, Cursebreaker Edition owners will get one extra game copy to give away,” Collins-Laflamme writes via social media platform X. As an example, he notes, “If we release six chapters before 1.0, that’s six extra standard copies to give to friends and family.” The first of those will be due from Chapter 1’s launch, which is this coming Monday October 12.
It’s quite the staggering offer. There’s a fair case to be made that Cursebreaker-tier founders have earned it – the top-level buy-in is priced at $83.99, compared to just $24.99 for the standard edition and $41.99 for the supporter bundle. However, Collins-Laflamme has been quick to remark that players shouldn’t expect the game to be up to scratch for quite some time, and as such those buying in at a higher price are likely to be people who are eager to support Hypixel Studios in bringing its vision to life.
“Genuinely how can you afford to do this,” one player asks him. “I do what I do, it is what it is,” comes the response. Another user worries that the money lost could be a serious blow, even though Hypixel confirmed it had already secured two years worth of development funding based on pre-orders alone. Collins-Laflamme’s response is a simple one: “Community first.” He also notes that you will be able to get your free copy if you upgrade an existing account to the Cursebreaker tier during Chapter 1.
As for the Hytale Chapter 1 update itself, it already looks spectacular, transforming what’s been a relatively simple sandbox so far into a much more robust-looking RPG. We’ll be dealing with a goblin faction that will require tackling a dungeon and special raid boss. There’s fresh gear including rocket boots, gliders, and hookshots, along with features such as carrying large objects, combat runes that grant and modify various skills and spells, and an overhaul to player models and world visuals.
As for what lies beyond that, Collins-Laflamme says the team is “currently working on several updates that will follow,” split into three categories: cozy/crafting, combat/itemization, and dungeons/bosses. “I know lots of you are waiting for cozy content and we will release lots of it before Chapter 2,” he reaffirms. “The team is now over 100 people and we are super excited to finally work on new content, things are about to get crazy to say the least.”
For combat enthusiasts, he reveals that the long-term plan is to add “hundreds of runes and items that interact with abilities, opening the potential for thousands of builds.” Oh, and plenty of minigames are in the works as well, as one of Hypixel’s greatest Minecraft legacies. If you’re looking to get in on the action despite Collins-Laflamme’s encouragement to “buy the game but wait to play,” you can do so here.
Hytale Chapter 1 releases on Monday October 12. Cursebreaker Founder’s Edition owners will get access to an additional free copy to give to friends or family when each new chapter launches. “Please don’t spoil the Chapter 1 ending on the first day,” Collins-Laflamme concludes.