Hytale Chapter 1 Preview: RPG Progression & Companions

Hytale’s latest look ahead is doubling down on a core message: it may be a voxel world, but it isn’t trying to be a modern version of Minecraft. In a new blog preview centered on “Chapter 1,” Hypixel Studios’ team lays out a roadmap aimed at making Hytale feel like a deeper RPG and a more evolving adventure—built around handcrafted encounters, progression systems, and companions—rather than chasing the sandbox identity that made Minecraft a global standard.

Game director Simon Collins-Laflamme previously discussed how early conversations helped shape that direction. He recalled that he and Minecraft creative lead Jens “Jeb” Bergensten agreed on the principle that Hytale should aim to be “more different” from Minecraft. Collins-Laflamme pointed to Jeb’s own remarks from shortly after Hytale’s launch era, where Jeb said he wanted the experience to diverge more: even though Hytale was polished, the feeling he had while playing was that he’d rather stick with Minecraft. Jeb also emphasized that it was still early and noted he expected modding would be important for the future.

Collins-Laflamme responded by framing the “polished” comment as a positive outcome and reiterated the reasoning behind the studio’s stance. He said being called polished was “the best compliment we could have,” and he agreed with the idea that Hytale needed unique features to justify its own space. In his view, the features that would make Hytale stand apart “weren’t in the game yet,” but that understanding is now reflected in the direction presented in the Chapter 1 preview.

According to Collins-Laflamme, the team isn’t trying to create the same kind of game, even if comparisons will always exist. He argues that the Chapter 1 reveal shows what that means going forward, highlighting a set of pillars intended to define Hytale’s identity: handcrafted dungeons and multi-phase boss fights, combat abilities, runeforging, and world events. The preview also points to companions being tied into the crafting loop, indicating a more RPG-structured progression than a pure building-and-survival focus.

The studio describes its goal as building “a deeper RPG” and a stronger adventure identity, with the expectation that Hytale will “evolve massively” over the next few years. Collins-Laflamme summarizes the approach bluntly: Hytale happens to be a block game, but it is only beginning the path the team wants players to experience.

Hypixel Studios also frames this separation as a win for both games by allowing voxel worlds to support different design goals. It cites other voxel titles as proof that the visual style doesn’t dictate gameplay—pointing to Everwind for a more Skyrim-like fantasy RPG direction and Vintage Story for a harsher survival-focused approach—while positioning Hytale’s upcoming plan as something players may find more compelling than a straightforward attempt to make a “modern” Minecraft.