League of Legends developer Riot Games continues to expand its horizons with the acquisition of Hypixel Studios, which is behind upcoming sandbox RPG Hytale.
Riot Games, which was one of the investors of Hypixel when it was formed in 2018, closed the purchase for an undisclosed amount.
“Over the last 18 months, we’ve been fortunate to advise Hypixel Studios as they build toward their vision for evolving a game genre that reaches an incredibly diverse range of players around the globe. Now, as they prepare to enter the next chapter, we’re thrilled to take our partnership to the next level through this acquisition,” said Riot Games President Dylan Jadeja in the release that announced the transaction.
Hypixel, however, will retain its current structure, but will establish a permanent office in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, as it continues to work on Hytale.
“We’ll continue to operate in the same way as we have before, but Riot will become our parent company and we’ll gain access to their expertise and resources. This means a bigger budget for Hytale, more security for our team, and advisory support from a company that knows how to launch and operate successful, long-running games,” said Hypixel Studios co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme in a letter posted on the company’s website.
Hytale, which was announced in December 2018 through a trailer that has 56 million views on YouTube, has received 2.5 million sign-ups for its beta. The Minecraft-like title “combines the scope of a sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game,” in an open-world adventure that features combat, crafting, and construction.
Riot Games moves beyond League of Legends
Riot Games, which had League of Legends as its only title for 10 years since it was launched in 2009, has recently expanded its stable of games. The studio released auto-battler Teamfight Tactics in 2019, which will be followed by a wide rollout of digital card game Legends of Runeterra on April 30. Valorant, a hero-shooter, is currently in closed beta.
Riot Games will enter another new genre with Hytale, which is currently set to roll out in 2021. It appears that Hypixel’s acquisition by Riot Games will not affect the targeted release date.
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