League of Legends maker Riot has acquired Hypixel Studios for an undisclosed fee.
Hypixel is the studio behind Hytale, a community-powered block game that “combines the scope of a creative sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game.”
The title is due out in 2021, but over 2.5 million people have already signed-up for an upcoming beta.
The acquisition marks the evolution of an existing partnership between the pair, with Riot having supported Hypixel as an angel investor when the studio was founded back in 2018.
“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,” said Dylan Jadeja, president of Riot Games.
“Now, as they prepare to enter the next chapter, we’re thrilled to take our partnership to the next level through this acquisition. We look forward to supporting Hypixel Studios’ journey through the development process, helping them grow, and learning from them as well.”
The purchase will allow Hypixel to leverage Riot’s experience in development and publishing, although the company will retain its current structure while continuing to operate as an independent entity.
The studio will also move to establish a permanent office in Northern Ireland, which will act as a base for back-office functions and quality assurance.
“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,” reads a Hypixel statement.
“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.