The boxy sandbox game Hytale is now available in early access, but as of now, the anticipated indie title is only on PC. Hypixel, the team behind Hytale, is planning on a console release, but it wouldn’t happen until later in the game’s development, according to an official FAQ.
Hytale executive director Patrick Derbic clarified in the FAQ that “the early access of Hytale will only be on PC,” and a console release is planned for “a later stage.” Currently, Hytale is only playable from its own launcher and is not available on Steam.
Derbic said that a console version of Hytale “requires a lot of work on backend systems to make this a reality,” and as the developers “would like to focus on making a good game first,” porting the game isn’t a task the studio wants to expend resources on at the moment.
Hytale includes extensive modding tools, and the FAQ points out that Steam doesn’t support “some” of these modding features. It’s unclear if the game’s emphasis on mod support will present any obstacles for a console release.
The Minecraft-like title underwent an extended and tumultuous development period, during which initial backer Riot Games canceled production after a decade of work. The project was revived months later, and its early-access launch has already attracted a high volume of Twitch viewers.