League of Legendsdeveloper Riot Games continues to expand its horizons with the acquisition of Hypixel Studios, which is behind upcoming sandbox RPGHytale.
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 thereleasethat 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 onHytale.
“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 forHytale, 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 letterpostedon 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. TheMinecraft-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 beyondLeague of Legends
Riot Games, which hadLeague of Legendsas its only title for 10 years since it was launched in 2009, has recently expanded its stable of games. The studio released auto-battlerTeamfight Tacticsin 2019, which will be followed by a wide rollout of digital card gameLegends of Runeterraon April 30.Valorant,a hero-shooter, is currently in closed beta.
Riot Games will enter another new genre withHytale, 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.
