Let’s Rip off the Band-Aid: We’re Ending Development on the Minecraft-Compatible Client, and We’re EXTREMELY Excited About It!

Here’s why…

Today marks the beginning of a pivotal chapter in the HYTOPIA platform. Just days ago, we internally conducted the first complete test of HYTOPIA, from login to gameplay. Our team logged in through their HYPLAY accounts, selected a server from the server list, clicked the “Launch” button, and seamlessly joined the game together.

We’ve been through hell and high water in our efforts to build the next generation of user-generated content (UGC) platforms. We’ve battled against a Minecraft blockchain ban, endured long bear markets, navigated product pivots, faced bot attacks, security breaches, and community chaos, all while putting in our blood, sweat, and tears.

But through all past and future challenges, HYTOPIA has and will prevail. By combining the simplified art style of Minecraft with the flexible developer tools and creator-driven ecosystem of Roblox, HYTOPIA WILL become the ultimate experience for both players and creators.

Overview of Announcement

Content Sections

• A Brief History of HYTOPIA
• What We Learned (Pre-Rug)
• Past Vision: A Better Minecraft Client
• Challenges of Building a Game Client
• Game Client #1
• Game Client #2
• The Decision to Pivot
• The Future of HYTOPIA
• Product Suite Overview
• Utility of Worlds, Avatars, Gray Boys, and WNS
• HYCHAIN/HYPLAY (Briefly, as it pertains to HYTOPIA)
• Team & Internal Operations Overview
• Marketing & Communications

What is not covered

• $TOPIA & Tokenomics (To be covered in a later announcement)
• Anything HYCHAIN / HYPLAY outside of relation to HYTOPIA
• Nodes

The Future of HYTOPIA

Originally, we planned HYTOPIA Proper to run in parallel after the Minecraft-compatible client reached stable release. But due to delays, ArkDev began R&D early. The results over just a few months are incredible. Features are rolling out at a rapid pace, with none of the baggage Minecraft dragged along.

We’re Not Entirely Starting Over!

We’re not throwing away everything. Creator tools, the server list, the marketplace, the cosmetic system—all of these are client-agnostic and still apply to the new HYTOPIA. Our UI was always web-based, which means all the frontend work transitions smoothly into HYTOPIA Proper.

We’ll showcase these products later in the article.

How is the “New” HYTOPIA Different?

Before, we were just building a client to connect to Minecraft servers. Now, HYTOPIA is its own full-stack platform—game client, server, and supporting ecosystem—controlled end-to-end by us. No more dependency on Minecraft’s logic, IP, or code.

Free, Streamlined Server Hosting

Creators can sign up, create a server, upload code and assets, and go live. We’re removing friction so that building and publishing your game is as simple as possible. Imagine not having to worry about complex server hosting solutions—HYTOPIA provides it all.

Next-Level Speed & Ease of Development

Without Minecraft’s constraints, HYTOPIA offers unprecedented development speed. Using JavaScript or TypeScript with our SDK, creators can build fully-fledged multiplayer games in hours. No complicated engine setup. No obscure configuration. Just code your gameplay and see results immediately.

Our SDK is Already LIVE!

• SDK: https://github.com/hytopiagg/sdk
• Developer Docs: https://dev.hytopia.com/

We’re moving… FAST

In just a few weeks, we’ve added block entity support, dynamic camera controls, heavy graphics optimizations, and larger map sizes. The pace of innovation is staggering compared to what we achieved under Minecraft’s shadow.

Some examples…

Block Entity Support: Allowing developers to define blocks that act as entities instead of static environmental pieces:

Support for camera position and direction, enabling different view styles such as first-person:

Heavy graphical optimizations, enabling giant map sizes:

Product Suite Overview

If we went into every detail of the products we’re currently developing, this announcement would be 100 pages. Instead, we’ll talk a little more high-level, and save the deep-dives for future blog posts!

The HYTOPIA platform consists of multiple products and features:

• Game Server: Powers gameplay, networking, physics
• Browser Client: Renders the game, communicates with the server
• User Interfaces:
  • Play Page (Server List)
  • Marketplace
  • Locker (Cosmetic Inventory)
  • Social System (Friends, Chat)
  • Settings
• Creator Tools: Uploading, configuring, and managing marketplace content
• Internal Tools: For HYTOPIA team support and management
• Backend Systems: Numerous microservices to handle everything from icons to chat logs

In the next sections, we’ll cover the Play Page, Marketplace, and Locker.

NOTE: The screenshots in the following sections may (are likely to) be somewhat outdated or contain dummy data, so consider them non-final.

Play Page

The Play Page (essentially the Server List) is the first screen players see. It lists all HYTOPIA games, allowing easy navigation and instant joining.

Clicking on any of the server cards will bring the user to a more detailed server page. From there, they can go back to the server list, or instantly join the server by clicking “Join Server”. Optionally, they can change their region preference, to connect to a specific server (defaults to closest).

Check out this video showing the server selection and joining process.

….You have to admit, THIS is awesome:

Marketplace

The Marketplace features creator-uploaded cosmetics for sale. Users can easily filter by item type, rarity, or other traits.

Item Types

The HYTOPIA marketplace allows creators to upload and configure a few different styles of items:

• Lootbox
  • A Lootbox is an container item that contains a pool of items with varying rarities and drop chances. Upon “unboxing” the Lootbox will be destroyed, and yield one of its contained items.
• Bundle
  • Similar to a Lootbox, a Bundle contains multiple items. Unlike a Lootbox, upon unboxing a bundle yields all items it contains. Bundles are great for selling entire groups or sets of items/armor.
• Cosmetic Item
  • A Cosmetic item is an equipable item that alters the appearance of the player’s character.
• Non-Cosmetic Item
  • A Non-Cosmetic item (we just say item or utility item) is an item that has no cosmetic benefit, but can still have game mechanics tied to it. They can be viewed in the Locker, but not equipped on the character. The Non-Cosmetic item would be a good choice for a server owner selling a title, rank, or in-game currency (in-game only currency, like gold or points).

The marketplace landing screen shows spotlighted and trending collections, as well as options for navigating and filtering.

For example, if the user were to select the “Head” slot under “Shop by Slot” category, they would automatically be directed to the advanced filter area, with the “Head” slot pre-filtered.

If we then clicked the “Cat TV Hat” card. We would navigate to the individual item page, where we would get a more in-depth look at this specific item. Item pages include descriptions, traits, real-time listings, and options for buying/selling.

Of course, we wouldn’t make a purchase without seeing it on our character first, right?

Each type of item has its own individually tailored page. Lootboxes for example, show their contents along with details about how often they drop, their contained item rarity, current market rate, and more.

The marketplace will also support in-game quick buys, for creators that want to allow player purchases without leaving the gameplay experience.

I See Both $TOPIA AND USD?

Our current plans are to have a split-marketplace, where the user can toggle between USD and $TOPIA. Our final strategy here is still being explored, but initial versions of the marketplace will support USD payments.

There are a few challenges preventing the marketplace from being $TOPIA-only:

• Child Safety Concerns
  • A large portion of Roblox and Minecraft players are minors. Even with verified parental consent, minors interacting with a marketable currency ($TOPIA) is a legal and logistical nightmare (and ILLEGAL depending on jurisdiction).
• Token Volatility
  • Users (especially Web2 users) will not be accustomed to purchasing a redeemable currency and having the price fluctuate in real-time. They would be extremely disappointed to log in one day, and see their $20 of credits is now worth $15.
• Credit Card Processing Issues
  • Most (Over 90% in the USA) credit card companies block/disallow purchasing crypto currencies using a credit card. This is because lines of credit are essentially loans from a bank. Purchasing crypto with a credit card would in essence be converting loaned money to a liquid asset, which banks don’t like. The problem here is a large portion of in-game purchases are done via credit card. We can still on-ramp crypto using a debit card, but disallowing credit cards entirely would cause significant reductions in user purchases.
• KYC Requirements
  • Purchasing crypto generally requires KYC beyond that of a normal credit card purchase (this isn’t always the case), causing user friction, especially on cheaper items. Having to complete a KYC process to purchase a $2.99 sword is just bad user experience.

Locker

In the Locker, players manage their owned cosmetics, equipping them on various body parts. For example, you can equip polar bear arms or fox slippers on each corresponding limb. Some items only fit certain slots, making rare cosmetics even more special. The Locker provides a visual inventory system that’s easy and intuitive.

To change my “Head” cosmetic, I just select the “Head” slot, and I’m navigated to a sub-menu where I can see all of the head slots I have in my possession.

I equipped my Octopus Hat, and now I want to go back and view my full inventory. Easily enough, I go back and select the “Full Inventory” tab.

Social System

We know gaming is more fun with friends, which is why HYTOPIA’s social system makes it easy to connect, share experiences, and discover new content together. Players can add each other, manage their favorite friends, chat right in the game, and jump into one another’s matches with just a few clicks.

This welcoming, community-driven environment naturally encourages players to explore new UGC creations and invite their friends along for the ride, thus expanding the playerbase.

Here you can see the friends list. Its visibility can be toggled, sliding it in from the side of the screen. From there you can send friend requests, view online statuses, favorite, and search your friends list.

Next to the “Add Friend” button is the “Chat” button, which brings up the chat overlay.

Alternatively, clicking on a friend brings up a sub-menu, where you can send them a quick message.

This chat system will also be integrated with the in-game chat, so you can message your friends while playing. Direct messages, global chat, and server chat will be separated into different tabs.

(Outdated screenshot, but gets the point across)

Utility of Worlds, Avatars, Gray Boys, and WNS

This is our most asked question, and for good reason. We’ve been through a lot of product pivots and evolutions which have invalidated previously planned utility. While many of the following answers are not final, we have some strong ideas for what could be the next set of utilities for each item.

Worlds

There was a time when worlds were selling on secondhand markets for 10s of thousands of dollars. Attempting to create that much value though utility is possible, but for figures of that magnitude to make sense, it likely requires percentage based discounts to a creator earning multiples of that cost.

In the early days of NFT Worlds, we planned on requiring a World in order to even create a server on the platform. We’ve since learned this is impossible, and potentially flat out product-killing. A UGC platform is intended to be an open market for creators of all financial situations, not a gate-kept platform for the ultra wealthy. Lets be honest, what 14 year old can afford to spend $1,000 to even attempt to make a game, let alone $10,000?

What we need is a utility that makes sense for the smaller pool of creators, who are running their servers as a business. We will focus the utility to benefit those creators, where an investment into a world would be a net positive for their business.

Potential utilities include:

• Increased marketplace listing limits
• Server spotlights and marketing boosts
• Priority hosting and better performance for large player counts
• Lower marketplace fees
• Premium support and early feature access

We’re also exploring returning to our roots by enabling terrain import and binding servers directly to a World NFT, so the code and terrain can transfer as a single asset.

Avatars & Gray Boys

Avatars and Gray Boys, priced beyond most Web2 players, will focus on the Web3 audience. Both will function as unique skins and may receive exclusive loot box drops aligned with their respective themes—fantasy/humanoid for Avatars, space/alien for Gray Boys.

The default player model will likely have simple customization options such as hairstyle, skin, hair, and eye colors, but Gray Boys and Avatars will expand on this customization.

Check out our upcoming Avatars Lootbox drop (GB has one coming too), the “Basic Dirt Stash”:

Avatars is intended to be positioned at a slightly higher price-point than Gray Boys, due to the $TOPIA staking mechanic, allowing different entry and exit points to the HYTOPIA ecosystem.

We’re also considering a burn-to-exchange mechanic, allowing the conversion of GB/Avatars into rare cosmetics. For example, the trait “Cyclops” found in only 68 Avatars would be extremely valuable if converted into a cosmetic.

World Name Service (WNS)

We understand that World Name Service has been neglected. Our current plan is to create an interface allowing the burning of WNS NFTs to update your HYPLAY username. If someone else already has that username, they’ll be forced to pick a new one. We’ll likely add unique in-game cosmetic perks to thank WNS supporters.

Afterward, we’ll wind down WNS in favor of HYPLAY usernames.

A Quick Rundown on HYCHAIN / HYPLAY

HYCHAIN

HYCHAIN has its own product team completely separate from HYTOPIA (Aside from Ark and Temp). HYCHAIN was built to support the HYTOPIA ecosystem, along with other third-party apps, for the sake of decentralization and diversification of the $TOPIA token utility.

Currently HYCHAIN is focused on executing its strategy of acquisition and resurrecting dead IP, in the pursuit of building a player base and publishing arm.

HYPLAY

HYPLAY is our frictionless login and non-custodial wallet management system, designed to simplify the Web3 onboarding experience. Instead of juggling seed phrases or dealing with complex blockchain setups, players can just log in and play. HYPLAY seamlessly handles account creation, authentication, and asset ownership, so players remain focused on gaming rather than the technology behind it.

We’re currently improving HYPLAY’s UX by implementing one-time-password logins and streamlined account recovery, making it even easier to get started.

This change will solve 90% of the usability complaints surrounding the HYPLAY system. In the future as more users are onboarding into HYPLAY (Through HYTOPIA or otherwise) we will allocate more resources towards its continued improvement.

Team & Internal Operations Overview

How does the team communicate?

If you’re not seeing us in discord, it’s because we do our actual work in a software called Slack. Slack is intended for internal collaboration, which discord is not well catered to. The team is constantly collaborating, sending hundreds of messages per day. We also use Notion for product documentation and management.

Team Breakdown

For the sake of respecting the privacy of team members, we will be using their discord names. Because we’re still a small business, team members often contribute to multiple products, sometimes outside of their typical role.

You’ll also notice there are some overlaps between the HYCHAIN and HYTOPIA team. These members usually work on a single company & product at a time, but often change after milestones.

The following list will exclude contractors which aren’t core or collaborating full-time. These contractors include 3D modelers, app developers (for our acquired IP), contract audit work, etc.

HYTOPIA TEAM (5 dedicated, 10 total including shared resources):

• Founders: ArkDev (CTO/Product Lead), Temptranquil (COO/Product Lead)
• Frontend: Jahvi, Madelyn
• Backend: Matt, t1dev
• Design & Content: danngerous, Phaxy
• Community: Honk
• Marketing: Tweakhash

HYCHAIN TEAM (5 dedicated):

• Biz/Ops/Strategy: Abhishek, EROD
• Full Stack: 0x_Something
• Backend/Blockchain: t1dev
• Developer Support: Dom
• Design & Content: danngerous, Phaxy
• Marketing: Tweakhash
• Community: Honk, Marvin

Upcoming Hires / Expanding Team

Our next focus building an internal game development team. We plan to hire a senior engineer to oversee the Three.js-based browser client, optimizing visuals, integrating UI, and refining the player experience. This frees ArkDev to focus on server functionality.

As I write this (Temptranquil) we already have a strong candidate that we will likely make an offer to.

What happened to Avatars creator “The13Ninjas”?

We brought asset creation in-house for more direct creative control. While we haven’t formally parted ways, the exact future relationship remains to be determined. Regardless, we remain committed to Avatars and Gray Boys.

Runway

Before dropping Minecraft compatibility, we had roughly 2 years of runway. Now, it’s closer to 4. Development is cheaper and faster under our direct control. If we acquire a stable player base and a thriving marketplace, a Series A fundraising round or even direct profitability becomes an easily attainable goal.

Marketing & Communications

Marketing vs Business Development vs User Acquisition

“Marketing” often gets conflated with everything else. Marketing is about brand visibility, perception, and demand. Business development is about strategic partnerships and long-term opportunities. User acquisition focuses on bringing in players right now.

Web2 vs Web3 Marketing

We must separate our narratives. Web2 players want gameplay footage, feature updates, and fun. Web3 users want internal insights, development details, and tokenomics. Mixing them risks alienating one side. We’ll tailor communications accordingly (and have already begun to) by dedicating HYTOPIA socials to player-facing media, and HYCHAIN socials to holder-facing media.

Future User Acquisition (UA) Plans

Once we have a product launched, stable, polished, and containing content worthy of player retention, we will begin traditional player-facing video game marketing. Marketing is an entire beast of its own, ever evolving with the trends of users, technology, and pop culture.

Without outlining an exact plan, here are some marketing avenues we will likely peruse:

• Generic Paid-Ads Marketing – Create ads for the HYTOPIA game that run on similar platforms
• Social Media Influencer Marketing – Paid social media influencer gameplay/reviews
• Twitch Streamer Marketing – Paid twitch streaming of HYTOPIA gameplay
• YouTube Player-Oriented Marketing – Paid reviews/gameplay of HYTOPIA
• YouTube Creator-Oriented Marketing – Paid development overview and tutorials for HYTOPIA games

Brand Awareness Efforts

Brand awareness is something we’re already working on. Here are a few of the upcoming items that we have in the pipeline:

• Start a HYTOPIA blog, for longer and more detailed updates.
• Resurrecting weekly or bi-weekly twitter spaces
• Updating documentation with new vision/strategy
• Increasing consistency in social media platform posts
• Partnering with KOLs to spread HYTOPIA news

Trickle-Down Posting

Since there is often too much information to fit into a single discord or twitter post. We’ve created https://blog.hytopia.com/ to host the detailed versions of the announcements. From there, they will be paraphrased/focused and “Trickle-Down” to other social media platforms (X, Discord, etc.).

Miscellaneous HYTOPIA FAQ / Community Concerns

Will HYTOPIA have a base gameplay?

Yes, we’ll provide a basic “blank slate” experience—default world, UI, player model, cosmetics, and basic movement. We’ll offer optional pre-built components for inventory, entities, and other mechanics. Creators can use these as building blocks to make unique experiences.

Will HYTOPIA have a single player game mode?

HYTOPIA will not include a single-player game mode. However, even though HYTOPIA is intended to be a multiplayers game platform, it is possible to create games that have little player-player interaction. Doing so would go against what the platform is designed for, but it is possible. In some cases, limited player interaction is mandatory. It would be very difficult to make a multiplayer tower defense game where all players control all towers, but you could give each player a section of the map to encourage collaboration without conflict. The limit is your imagination!

Now that we’ve moved away from Minecraft, how do we solve the cold-start problem?

We tackle it as other games do—by making our product genuinely fun, reaching out to existing communities, and marketing effectively. We have key advantages:

• A unique platform that’s easier to develop for than Minecraft or Roblox.
• A pre-registered community excited for our launch.
• A focus on minigames and smaller lobbies, so even 20 players can create a lively experience, unlike a Minecraft server that feels empty without hundreds of players.

We still have a great shot at winning over Minecraft and Roblox players, and especially their creators, with a platform that’s familiar yet more empowering and flexible.

Now that we’ve looked ahead at HYTOPIA’s future, let’s take a moment to consider the victories, setbacks, and lessons that led us here….

A Brief History of HYTOPIA

Origins

HYTOPIA began as NFT Worlds. Initially intended as an art project, we used an open-source Minecraft terrain generation algorithm to create 10,000 unique plots of land. These plots, each with traits based on generated terrain parameters (like the height of a peak or the depth of a sea), were released as a free NFT mint in October 2021.

It was an immediate success. We quickly realized there was a community eager for something different in the NFT space, and we were the perfect team to bring it to life. As the NFT space evolved through various phases—utility, tokenomics, DAOs, on-chain projects, and gamification—we remained at the forefront of these trends.

One of the most exciting moments in NFT Worlds history was the day we enabled land development. ArkDev and I refreshed OpenSea, watching as builds populated on the platform. Truly, the best part of owning and running a business, is seeing the products you worked so hard on enjoyed by your customers.

Gamification

By integrating bleeding-edge technologies, we sought to build a blockchain layer on top of Minecraft, addressing the pain points for Minecraft players and creators. We developed our own game launcher, acquired and improved Solar Spigot (a popular Minecraft server), and integrated token and NFT functionality directly into gameplay. Over 100,000 unique players and wallets joined, marking the start of what we believed would be the next-generation Minecraft experience.

The Microsoft “Rug”

Then, it came. Microsoft, with whom we had been in close communication, went dark for weeks. We later learned they were updating their EULA to block blockchain from their platform. We were blindsided and disappointed. We had supported them by providing intros to our OpenSea connections to remove scam projects using Minecraft IP. We really felt we were building a relationship that could turn into a partnership, which would have inevitably lead to the imminent success of the entire project.

David vs Goliath

If there’s one thing you can be sure of about the HYTOPIA team, it’s that we are relentless. We refuse to give up.

The day Microsoft made their decision, we went straight to work. We explored various options—moving to another platform, acquiring game IP, or adapting our product to the new EULA. Ultimately, we decided to build our own proprietary game client from scratch, using Rust to create a fresh, unique experience free from Microsoft’s control.

What We Learned (Pre-Rug)

Through the challenges of NFT Worlds and HYTOPIA, we’ve gained many insights that shaped our vision for the platform. Here are the key takeaways:

1. Gamers Culturally Dislike Web3

While some gamers have had negative experiences with Web3, the broader issue is cultural. Gaming communities often view Web3 technologies—such as NFTs and blockchain—as inherently exploitative or “get-rich-quick” schemes. Despite the potential benefits of blockchain in gaming, the stigma remains strong. We’ve learned that we need to carefully navigate these cultural perceptions to win over the gaming community.

2. Web2 Players Aren’t Ready for Web3

Another lesson we’ve learned is that Web2 players aren’t yet ready for the Web3 experience. They don’t care about the underlying technology. They just want a seamless, enjoyable experience. Web3 must not disrupt that experience. If it does, it will turn players off immediately. This challenge has been especially apparent in HYPLAY, where issues like account recovery and password management have created friction for users. However, we’re actively addressing these issues, with plans to implement one-time password login systems to make the process smoother.

3. Creators Don’t Mind Web3 As Long As It Boosts Revenue

Contrary to what we expected, creators don’t have a strong aversion to Web3 technologies, as long as they increase their revenue. Creators are willing to adopt Web3 tools, like NFTs and crypto, if they enhance their ability to earn. Many Minecraft creators, despite publicly criticizing us, were quietly watching the revenue opportunities we offered. This shift in perspective has helped us understand that creators are more focused on the financial benefits of Web3, rather than the technology itself.

4. Play-to-Earn (P2E) Doesn’t Work Long-Term

We’ve learned that Play-to-Earn models are not sustainable in the long run. While P2E can provide short-term engagement, it often attracts cheaters, farmers, and botters. This inflates token supply and disrupts in-game economies. Economies based on P2E frequently experience crashes, as evidenced by the collapse of games like Axie Infinity. Ultimately, P2E creates economic imbalances, which makes it difficult for the platform to thrive. Instead of relying on P2E, we are focusing on developing enjoyable games with sustainable economies that don’t rely on constant token inflation.

5. Users and Holders Have Different Needs

We discovered that Web3 users and gamers have very different needs. Most Web3 users are motivated by financial interests, rather than by a desire to play games (of course, there is nothing wrong with this). This became clear when we realized that fewer than 1% of our 15,000 token holders were active gamers. While we appreciate the support of our Web3 community, we needed to tailor our marketing, communications, and product offerings to meet the distinct needs of players and token holders.

6. Never Ignore the Fundamentals: Fun Gameplay is Key

Above all, we’ve learned that fun is the most important element of any game. No matter how innovative or advanced a platform is, if the gameplay isn’t enjoyable, players won’t stick around. We’ve seen many projects that focused on complex features and missed the point of creating an enjoyable user experience. HYTOPIA will prioritize fun gameplay as its core, understanding that no amount of Web3 technology can replace the enjoyment of a great game. We have seen that fun Web3 games can still work, despite the NFT elements.

However… even Off The Grid is treading lightly… 😉

Past Vision: A Better Minecraft Client

Solving the “Cold-Start” problem

A major challenge for any platform, including HYTOPIA, is the “cold-start” problem. “Cold-start” is a reference to attempting a pull-start on an engine before it’s warmed up. A hot engine starts in a single pull, but when it’s winter in Seattle, starting that leaf blower is a nightmare!

“Cold-Start” occurs when a product or service lacks users initially, making it difficult for the platform to be valuable. The reason we initially targeted Minecraft was because of its large, ready-made player base. However, we quickly realized that building our own game client would give us much more control and freedom.

Backwards Compatibility

The idea was: Make the client compatible with Minecraft servers, and instantly have endless content & users. All we had to do was convince Minecraft players to use our client instead of Microsoft’s.

Working Backwards

To create a successful client, we worked backwards from the player experience. We identified key areas where Minecraft’s client fell short. What we needed was:

• Heavy Performance Optimization – Make the game more accessible to low-end hardware.
• Built-In Server List – Allow users to easily discover and navigate between servers.
• Built-In Social System – Connect friends directly in the game client.
• Built-In Cosmetics System – Give users the power to customize their character.
• Built-In Marketplace – Allow users to buy and sell in-game cosmetic.

Power to the Players: Giving Web3 a Real Use-Case

All of these great features would be powered by HYCHAIN and HYPLAY. Hychain would host all the player wallets, NFTs, and tokens. Users login through HYPLAY, a single-sign-on and non-custodial wallet solution, aimed at removing all friction from the Web2 player experience. We would be the steam-marketplace, but with an offramp, giving full control back to the players.

Power to the Creators: One Platform To Rule Them All

Creators are the backbone of the platform. Without creators there are no players (and vice versa of course). Luckily these player-facing systems also directly benefit Creators.

Life for a Minecraft creator is brutal. The Minecraft creator ecosystem is a dog-eat-dog environment. Creators have to reinvest an insane percentage (if not all) of their revenue marketing their server on various listing sites (such as this one: https://servers-minecraft.net/ ), just to be discovered. If they do manage to acquire players, they have to monetize using EULA workarounds through third-party websites (https://www.tebex.io/) where users “Donate” to the server, and receive a thank you reward.

For creators, HYTOPIA offers a one-stop platform to sell content, promote servers, and receive payments directly. This is a massive improvement over the Minecraft creator ecosystem, which has long been fragmented and difficult to navigate.

The Ecosystem “Flywheel”

We use the buzzword “Flywheel” a lot when we’re speaking to our community. The flywheel is essentially the growth cycle of the platform. We use the concept of a “flywheel” to describe how different parts of the HYTOPIA ecosystem feed into each other, creating momentum. This self-sustaining growth cycle will help ensure long-term success by continually adding value for both players and creators.

Challenges of Building a Game Client

Games are Hard to Build.

Building a game client is an absolutely huge endeavor—on a scale that’s hard to fully grasp. Each system within a game client comes with its own distinct challenges and technical strategies. A game engine must handle graphics (rendering), user interface, entities, animations, sound, game logic, physics, networking, platform compatibility, and more. The complexity is enormous. It’s not like building a straightforward piece of software. The architecture of a game engine is fundamentally different from other types of applications, often requiring specialized game development expertise.

The Minecraft “Protocol”

On top of everything involved in building a modern game engine, we needed to ensure backward compatibility with Minecraft servers. This meant making our simulation—our game’s underlying logic—closely match Minecraft’s logic so thoroughly that a Minecraft server would treat our client just like the official one. Our physics calculations had to be accurate to multiple decimal places. Every edge case and quirk of Minecraft’s gameplay needed to be replicated. If there were even minor inconsistencies, a server might kick or ban the player.

But that wasn’t the hardest part. The real nightmare was conforming to the “Minecraft protocol”—the system that Minecraft servers and clients use to communicate. Calling it convoluted would be an understatement. It’s outdated, riddled with inconsistencies, and never designed for ease of integration. It’s like trying to build a modern sports car engine while using parts from a century-old machine that wasn’t meant to be tampered with.

Simply parsing and interpreting this protocol consumed over 80% of our development time. It was “spaghettified,” messy, and demanded constant trial-and-error reverse engineering. We had to meticulously align with a codebase that was never intended to be re-implemented by a third party, let alone in a modern, high-performance environment.

The Rust Language

To achieve the high performance we promised to players, we decided to write the client in Rust. Rust is significantly more performant than Java, which Minecraft uses, and it encourages better coding practices, memory safety, and fine-grained control over system resources. This was critical because one of our main goals was to outperform the existing Minecraft client, making the game accessible to players with low-end hardware and ensuring smooth gameplay at a higher frame rate.

However, Rust development talent—especially in the gaming domain—is scarce. Couple that scarcity with the hostility many traditional game developers feel toward Web3, and you have a daunting hiring challenge. Our talent pool was tiny. We struggled to find engineers with both Rust and game engine expertise. This severely limited our ability to scale the development team and quickly address critical issues.

Game Client #1 (November 2022 – December 2023)

Team

For our first attempt at building a backwards-compatible client, we assembled a team of well-known figures from the Minecraft modding community. Their deep familiarity with Minecraft’s internal workings and the protocol was our strongest asset.

Pre-Bevy Engine (November 2022 – April 2023)

Our first attempt at a game client involved writing a proprietary rendering engine using OpenGL.

Footage of the OpenGL version of the game client:

The switch to Bevy

We realized that building a fully custom engine would be too time-consuming for this team. We turned to Bevy, a popular Rust game engine that could handle much of the heavy lifting—animation, sound, entity management, and more. By leveraging Bevy’s built-in systems, we could focus on replicating Minecraft’s logic and protocol rather than reinventing the wheel for basic engine features.

Client Progress

As we integrated Bevy, we started to see real progress. Some community members may recall testing early builds of the client. It was rough around the edges but starting to resemble something playable.

Cutting-Edge UI: Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF)

We also innovated on the user interface side. Traditional game UIs are often built directly into the game engine. Instead, we used CEF (Chromium Embedded Framework) to overlay a web-based UI. This meant we could write UI in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, enabling rapid iteration and changes by our frontend engineers without bothering the game developers.

Here is a demo showing CEF in action, overlayed on the game client, playing a YouTube video.

(shoutout to Temp’s favorite youtuber: Project farm https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectFarm ).

And here is a video showing CEF powering the new and improved user interface, designed by Dann (this same UI design will be used on HYTOPIA “Proper”!):

Challenges and the termination of Client #1

As development continued, integration became harder. Performance issues appeared on low-end hardware, the exact opposite of what we aimed for. Internally, the codebase became tangled and difficult to maintain. We needed external help—senior game developers who could audit our code and guide a refactor.

When we brought in external experts, their recommendation was clear: the codebase had reached a complexity tipping point. Refactoring it would be more costly and time-consuming than starting over with a cleaner architecture.

Game Client #2 (January 2024 – Present)

Meeting Game Client Team #2

While searching for contractors to audit and optimize Client #1’s codebase, we encountered a group of highly experienced developers. They had the kind of game industry experience we lacked—individuals who had shipped actual AAA titles. After an initial code audit, they recommended an entire rewrite, stating that a fresh start would yield a better, more performant client in less time.

Team

The second team was a powerhouse of talent. Each member had shipped real games and possessed deep expertise in their respective domains, from graphics and networking to physics and engine architecture.

• Kane – Product Manager / Senior Engineer – Graphics Expert
• Lilith – Senior Engineer – Networking Expert (experience with multiple AAA games)
• Patrick – Senior Software Engineer – Math & Physics Expert (PhD in Astrophysics)
• Connor – Senior Engineer – Graphics Expert
• Lucien – Senior Engineer – Engine & UGC Expert (former early Roblox employee)

Client Progress

Starting over hurt, but progress was initially blistering. The first milestone was rendering: getting blocks and textures on-screen. Early on, we had something rudimentary—blocks without proper lighting and some textures with white backgrounds due to missing transparency support—but it was a fast start.

Within months, Client #2 surpassed Client #1 in core functionality. We implemented complex game mechanics, entity animations, better UI integration, and more advanced lighting. While the proprietary rendering engine lacked some of Bevy’s built-in polish, it granted us far greater control over performance and flexibility.

We tested the client on various platforms, even experimenting with the Steam Deck. The performance and compatibility gains were encouraging. Visually, Client #2 was close to Client #1’s level, and it was fundamentally more stable and maintainable.

The Latest Blocker

Many community testers noted that Client #2 updates slowed for a few months. This was due to our work on integrating Ultralight, a lighter, more efficient replacement for CEF. Ultralight would give us the benefits of a web-based UI without the heavy overhead of full Chromium.

We spent months researching, developing, and implementing Ultralight. This UI integration was crucial. Without it, we couldn’t easily implement the ecosystem features we’d planned—like the Play Page, Marketplace, Locker, and Social System. While progress stalled, this step was necessary for the long-term vision of HYTOPIA.

The Decision To Pivot

Development Unpredictability

Sticking with Minecraft compatibility would mean a never-ending race. Achieving full parity with Minecraft 1.8 took nearly a year and substantial funds, and newer Minecraft versions would require even more time. The complexity would multiply, draining our resources and leaving us trapped in a cycle of continuous catch-up.

Are our team, investors, and community ready to wait another multiple-years to get the client compatible with an even larger and more complicated version? No.

Legal Risk

Our concern with legal isn’t that we’re infringing on Minecraft IP. We’ve taking many precautions, built things from scratch, and been very publicly vocal about our dedication to avoiding Minecraft IP.

However, when dealing with a company as large and powerful as Microsoft, you are powerless in a legal battle, even if you’re in the right. They will play every card they have, and “lawyer us to death” (until you’re out of funds to fight). By stepping away from Minecraft compatibility, we eliminate that existential legal risk.

The past few months we noticed Microsoft IP accounts following our GitHub repos. They were clearly keeping an eye on us, adding to our concerns.

Limited Talent Pool

Rust game developers with game engine experience are rare. Combined with skepticism toward Web3, it was incredibly challenging to hire and scale our team

Lack of Control

Relying on contractors for core products meant Ark and I (Temp) couldn’t be as hands-on as we wanted. HYTOPIA’s success relies on our deep involvement in the product, guiding its development.

Building and internal game development team and shifting the product roadmap would restore that control.

But the Biggest Reason of All is…. The New HYTOPIA is Better Than We Could Have Ever Imagined.

Your support means the world to us. From the bottom of the HYTOPIA team’s heart, thank you for reading!