Hytale is heading for early access in January, but it will not appear on Steam.
Hypixel Studios chose to skip the platform and focus on a community that already understands what they are building. For such a visible game, this might look risky, yet the idea is simple. They want feedback from people who follow the project rather than from a broad audience expecting a polished release.
TL;DR
Hypixel Studios’ Strategy for Hytale: Why Steam Was Skipped
Hypixel Studios chose to skip Steam for Hytale’s early access to avoid premature user reviews that could misrepresent the game’s progress and community feedback.
- Focus on community: Hypixel wants feedback from core fans who understand the game, rather than from a broad Steam audience who may not grasp what’s being tested.
- Steam’s review system: The team is concerned about the impact of reviews on public perception before the game is fully ready for release, especially with the risk of review bombing.
- Hytale’s long development: The game has a strong community following and the team prefers a slower, more controlled rollout to avoid the chaos of early public exposure.
- Steam later: While Hypixel isn’t abandoning Steam, they want the game to be ready for full visibility before releasing on the platform, ensuring more informed reviews from the right audience.
- Broader industry impact: Hypixel’s decision may influence other indie developers to reconsider their approach to early access, with a focus on quality feedback before public release.
Steam Reviews Strategy: Bigger Picture
The decision not to launch on Steam is rooted in one thing: the review system. Hypixel is not pretending Steam is irrelevant. In fact, they called it a great marketing tool. But the team is concerned about how easily user reviews can shape a public narrative before the game is ready. Patrick “Lyall” Derbic, the executive director at Hypixel, explained that early access is supposed to be a time for collaboration and iteration. Public reviews from players who do not fully understand what is being tested could distort that process.
Negative reviews are not the problem. Misinformed ones are. The team wants to avoid “overfocusing on criticism from people who are not as well informed about what we are doing.” They are aiming to get the right kind of feedback, from the right audience, at the right time.
Steam’s influence is massive. It is the default storefront for PC games, and its review system can affect visibility through algorithms. But that same visibility comes with exposure to review bombing. Hypixel wants to avoid that kind of noise while the game is still taking shape.
Hytale Early Access: Behind the Decision
The risk is not theoretical. Games like Horses by Santa Ragione have been removed from other storefronts before, yet losing Steam created the biggest damage. Steam still defines success for many indie teams. Hypixel is in a different place. They have a large and active community built over years, which gives them room to be patient.
A Slower Rollout with a Purpose
Hytale has been in development for years and has built up significant attention since it was first revealed. That long wait has raised expectations. But it has also made the team cautious. Rather than rushing into a marketplace where early missteps can spiral quickly, Hypixel is choosing a slower, more focused rollout.
Steam Later, When the Game Is Ready
The conversation around user reviews is not new, but it is evolving. More developers are speaking up about how public perception, once set, can be hard to shake. Hypixel’s move adds weight to that discussion.
Derbic made it clear that this does not mean Hytale will never appear on Steam. The team just wants to be ready first. Right now, their priority is building a space where early adopters can offer useful feedback without noise from people who expect a finished product.
If the strategy works, it may influence how other ambitious indie studios handle early access in the future. Not every game can skip Steam. But the ones that can might be better off waiting until the game is ready to be seen by everyone, not just the core fans.
Source:
- https://hytale.com/news/2025/12/hytale-s-1st-faq