Tag: hychain

  • HYTOPIA Weekly Update: Growth, Innovation, and Community Highlights

    HYTOPIA Weekly Update: Growth, Innovation, and Community Highlights

    Another incredible week for the HYTOPIA ecosystem as creators push boundaries and our community reaches new heights.

    Platform Momentum Continues to Surge

    This week’s numbers tell a powerful story of accelerating adoption and engagement:

    • 13.5k-16k unique daily active players joining games, with 26.49K active in just the last 24 hours & unique active players across the week have increased to 78.56k
    Display showing 26.49K unique players with a rise of 21.9%, set against a dark background.
    • Our current Google app rating is 4.482
    Google Play rating of 4.482 stars displayed prominently.
    • The platform now runs on 152K+ installed devices with 247K minutes of total session time logged across all users yesterday.
    Line graph depicting playtime trends over time, showing significant growth in player engagement from early August to late October.
    • Most importantly: Our performance optimizations for lower-end devices have resulted in a 150% increase in users successfully getting from app launch into actual gameplay

    “We’re not just growing, we’re becoming more accessible to players everywhere, regardless of their hardware.”

    Ecosystem Highlights

    • KARTLAND Goes Mobile
      Ricardo (Hammy.eth) is bringing KARTLAND to mobile devices with the goal of making it “feel just as smooth & fun as on desktop.” The same chaos, same boosts—now pocket-sized. Touch controls, drifting, and boost mechanics are all being optimized for the mobile experience.
    • VoxFire’s Next-Gen View Models
      Neural Pixel Games introduced impressive new view models in VoxFire and DeathMatch featuring:
      • Instant input response with screen-locked positioning
      • Dynamic muzzle flash and lighting effects
      • Realistic bullet casings and tracers
      • Smooth reload and equip animations
    • 6-7: The Addictive New Meme Game
      Athlete Domains launched “6-7”. The meme you know, the chaos you crave! 6-7 Meme Battleground transforms the internet’s most addictive audio trend into an adrenaline-pumping party game. Face off against up to 16 players in intense rhythm showdowns where split-second reactions separate champions from spectators. Every beat matters, every mistake is final, and only the player with perfect timing survives. Will you master the rhythm or choke under pressure?
    • ARKYN’s UI Overhaul
      All Your Loot spent the week completely revamping ARKYN’s user interface, including:
      • Redesigned Shop, Rune Loadout, Inventory, and Achievements screens
      • New Arcane Surge globe meter replacing the enemy health system
      • Enhanced item tooltips and proc notifications
      • Unlockable wand previews tied to Mastery achievements

    Community Activations

    The creativity flowing through HYTOPIA continues to amaze us. This week, developers leveraged AI tools, built innovative game concepts, and pushed our engine in unexpected directions.

    • @anondoges built their first HYTOPIA game using Claude AI and ChatGPT for assets. They created a Tower Defense meets TFT multiplayer brawl; from concept to playable in just hours. This shows how accessible game development on HYTOPIA has become, especially when combined with modern AI tools.
    • @0xPateI shared their experience building a flappy-style game in just a couple of hours, highlighting HYTOPIA’s versatility:

      “What I’m learning is the possibilities with this engine are endless, you can truly develop any type of game… I think from a larger view, there is potential to build out replicas of popular mobile games as well!”

      They’re already planning three more games, demonstrating the platform’s ability to support rapid prototyping and diverse game genres beyond traditional voxel experiences.
    • @moncoincrypto showcased smooth gameplay on lower-spec hardware while building out their world with decorations, trees, and resource gathering systems. Their experience validates that our performance improvements are making a real difference globally.

    What’s Next?

    The momentum we’re seeing is just the beginning. With creators building everything from AI-assisted tower defense games to mobile racing experiences, HYTOPIA is proving itself as a platform where any game concept can come to life.

    Our focus remains on:

    • Further performance optimizations to ensure everyone can play
    • Supporting creators with better tools and documentation
    • Growing our ecosystem of diverse, innovative games

    Whether you’re a player looking for your next favorite game or a developer ready to bring your ideas to life, there’s never been a better time to join HYTOPIA. Play now at https://hytopia.com/games/

    Have you built something amazing on HYTOPIA? Share it with us on X and tag @hytopia—you might be featured in next week’s update!

    Follow our journey and join the community at https://t.co/9lzxUQDM1s

  • Roblox Veterans Retro Shrimp, with 1+ Billion Plays, Join HYTOPIA Creator Fund

    Roblox Veterans Retro Shrimp, with 1+ Billion Plays, Join HYTOPIA Creator Fund

    The momentum continues. Retro Shrimp, a powerhouse Roblox development team with over 1 billion total plays across their portfolio has joined the HYTOPIA Creator Fund.

    Retro Shrimp is behind some of Roblox’s most successful multiplayer experiences, bringing their combined expertise to HYTOPIA with Hyper Ball Arena, a high-speed, reaction-based multiplayer game where players deflect a blazing energy ball to be the last one standing.

    A Team with Track Record

    Joseph Drennan, a 17-year Roblox veteran who has launched 15+ projects, knows how to build experiences that capture and retain massive audiences. His leadership helped create titles like Skate Park (388 million plays, 66k peak concurrent users) and DOG (253 million plays, 25k peak CCU), numbers most developers only dream of achieving.

    Daniel Pinheiro, the team’s lead programmer, brings equally impressive credentials. Since joining in 2020, he’s been instrumental in major successes including Ronald, which garnered over 200 million plays. With 11 years of Roblox Lua experience and 5 years specializing in TypeScript, Pinheiro embodies the technical expertise that thrives on HYTOPIA’s modern development stack.

    Their success extends beyond pure metrics. Drennan’s work earned features on the official Roblox blog and spawned official merchandise, while Roblox Point was prominently featured on Roblox’s login page from 2015-2020; rare recognition that validates their creative vision.

    Hyper Ball Arena: Proven Concepts, Fresh Execution

    Their upcoming title, Hyper Ball Arena, demonstrates the strategic thinking veteran developers bring to new platforms. The concept, a high-speed, reaction-based multiplayer game where players deflect an energy ball while adapting to dynamic arena hazards, builds on proven market dynamics while pushing creative boundaries.

    The game features escalating intensity as each deflection increases the ball’s speed, dynamic arenas with dropping floors and moving platforms, and multiple game modes spanning free-for-all and team battles. It’s immediately accessible yet endlessly engaging, the hallmark of successful multiplayer gaming.

    Why Proven Developers Choose HYTOPIA?

    Established developers with proven track records are increasingly drawn to HYTOPIA’s unique positioning in the gaming ecosystem. While traditional platforms become increasingly saturated, HYTOPIA offers proven creators the opportunity to be early pioneers in a rapidly evolving space.

    For developers who understand both the technical complexities and market dynamics of successful multiplayer games, HYTOPIA’s modern web-native architecture presents compelling advantages: instant cross-platform accessibility, no download barriers, and development tools that leverage familiar technologies like TypeScript.

    Building the Future Together

    Through the Creator Fund, the Retro Shrimp team will receive comprehensive support, including milestone-based funding, dedicated engineering assistance, and full go-to-market resources. Most importantly, they retain complete IP ownership while benefiting from HYTOPIA’s creator-favorable revenue split.

    This partnership represents a broader transformation where proven developers are choosing to build the flagship experiences that will define HYTOPIA’s ecosystem. Each team brings not only their games but their communities, expertise, and validation of what’s possible when creativity meets cutting-edge technology.

    The Growing Movement

    As more established developers recognize HYTOPIA’s potential, we’re witnessing the early stages of a significant platform evolution.

    The HYTOPIA Creator Fund applications remain open for teams ready to join this pioneering cohort. For developers with proven track records and bold visions, the opportunity to help define gaming’s next chapter has never been clearer.

    Ready to build the future of gaming? Learn more about the Creator Fund at creatorfund.hytopia.com

  • HYTOPIA: Major Infrastructure and Tool Upgrades

    HYTOPIA: Major Infrastructure and Tool Upgrades

    We’re excited to share some significant improvements we’ve shipped this week across the HYTOPIA platform. From massive infrastructure upgrades to new creative tools, here’s what’s new:

    Performance & Infrastructure Breakthroughs

    Game Hosting Revolution
    We’ve completely reimagined our game hosting infrastructure with remarkable results. Our tests now show support for up to 100 players on a single server with zero lag or stutters, and we have a clear path to 500 players. This represents a massive leap forward in both performance and cost efficiency.

    SDK Optimizations

    • Large packets (1024+ bytes) are now automatically compressed, dramatically reducing bandwidth and lag
    • Enhanced float encoding and movement packet optimization
    • Resolved audio issues during high-activity periods
    • Fixed UI context menu conflicts

    Creator Tools Enhanced

    World Editor Updates

    • New floor grid toggle for better workspace visibility
    • Customizable skybox options
    • Significant performance improvements through object pooling and texture optimization
    • Advanced entity culling systems for smoother editing

    Create Platform Improvements

    • Sortable items table for better organization
    • Editable item traits post-creation
    • Redesigned item cards featuring creator profiles
    • Increased package size limit to 500MB
    • Enhanced game submission workflow with Markdown support

    Player Experience Improvements

    Enhanced Gameplay Features

    • New ESC and SHIFT+TAB controls for seamless game/overlay navigation
    • Floating “Currently Playing” notifications that follow you across pages
    • Updated total play count system now live

    Fresh Content
    Our asset team has been busy creating:

    • 5 new brainrot NPC models
    A 3D character model resembling a cute figure with a mug for a head, wearing a pink dress and striped leggings.
    A blue, blocky shark character designed in a pixelated style, wearing sneakers, with a cartoonish face and exaggerated features.
    A whimsical pixel art aircraft designed to resemble an alligator, featuring propellers and an orange object hanging below.
    A 3D animated character with a green frog head and a black frame surrounding its body, walking on orange legs.
    • 6 complete armor sets and 11 weapons
    • 17 essential world-building items (anvils, furnaces, workbenches, etc.)
    • 9 new clothing options
    A collection of ten voxel-style character avatars with blonde hair and green eyes, showcasing various clothing styles including casual and formal outfits.

    Marketplace & Locker: Public Testing Soon!

    We’re thrilled to announce that public testing for our Marketplace and Locker systems is just around the corner. Take a look at what we’ve been building:

    Also, here’s what to expect:

    Testing Scope:

    • 100 fake USDC starting balance for all testers
    • Basic starter item collection
    • Purchasable lootboxes and bundles
    • Full item equipping functionality in the Locker
    • Special glasses for World, Gray Boys, and Avatars holders
    • Platform-specific hats for Android & iOS users

    Current Development:

    • Real-time listing updates
    • Responsive design improvements
    • View counting for marketplace items
    • Optimized UI using Base’s Flashblocks for lightning-fast transactions
    • Locale-specific number formatting

    Looking Ahead

    These updates represent months of behind-the-scenes work focused on scalability, performance, and user experience. The upcoming Marketplace and Locker testing will mark a major milestone in HYTOPIA’s evolution.

    Stay tuned for the official testing announcement with full participation details.

    Join our Discord and follow us on X for the latest updates.

  • Roblox Powerhouse IROC Studios becomes the first studio committed to build on HYTOPIA

    Roblox Powerhouse IROC Studios becomes the first studio committed to build on HYTOPIA

    Today, we’re thrilled to announce IROC Studios as the inaugural partner in our HYTOPIA Creator Fund program. This partnership tells a compelling story about creative evolution: how successful developers continue pushing boundaries and exploring new frontiers to bring their biggest visions to life.

    Meet IROC Studios: A Proven Powerhouse on Roblox

    With over 15 years of experience in game development, IROC Studios has established itself as one of the most popular and fastest-growing studios on Roblox. Their flagship title, Game Store Tycoon, has captivated players worldwide with over 110 million game visits and built a thriving community of more than 3 million fans.

    What makes IROC Studios special isn’t just their impressive numbers; it’s their ability to create engaging, community-driven experiences that keep players coming back. As a leading force among the platform’s next generation of creators, they represent exactly the kind of battle-tested talent we’re excited to support through the Creator Fund.

    Introducing Pawtopia: Adventure Awaits in the Voxel World

    IROC Studios is bringing their expertise to HYTOPIA with Pawtopia, an ambitious pet collection simulator and adventure game that perfectly showcases what’s possible on our platform. Set in a magical voxel-based world, Pawtopia invites players to explore lush forests, crystal caverns, and mystical mountain paths while hatching, collecting, and leveling up uniquely designed cube-shaped pets.

    From loyal cats and playful dogs to majestic dragons and rare jungle beasts, each pet is crafted to match HYTOPIA’s colorful aesthetic while offering distinct gameplay mechanics. As players adventure through the world, their pets become valuable companions, helping them smash piles of square coins, uncover hidden loot, and unlock new realms. The deeper you explore together, the stronger your bond, and your pets,become.

    The Natural Evolution of Successful Developers

    What’s particularly exciting about this partnership is what it represents: talented developers with proven track records choosing to expand their creative reach. IROC Studios didn’t come to HYTOPIA because they needed to, they came because they wanted to explore what their next breakthrough might look like.

    This resonates with a broader trend we’re seeing. Accomplished developers from various platforms, particularly those who’ve found success on Roblox, are increasingly curious about new creative opportunities. They’ve mastered their current environments and are ready to see what’s possible when they have access to different tools, support structures, and creative possibilities.

    The Broader Movement

    While IROC Studios is our first Creator Fund partner, they’re part of a larger conversation happening among successful developers. We’re already hearing from other accomplished creators; many with strong Roblox backgrounds, who are exploring what their next creative chapter might look like.

    The gaming landscape continues evolving, and the most successful developers are those who stay ahead of these shifts. They’re not abandoning what works; they’re expanding their creative toolkit and exploring new opportunities to connect with players in fresh ways.

    A Signal for the Industry

    When established developers like IROC Studios with millions of plays and loyal communities, choose to bring their biggest creative visions to a new platform, it sends a meaningful signal. It suggests that talented creators see opportunity in exploring new creative frontiers, even when they’re already successful elsewhere.

    For other developers with proven track records, particularly those who’ve built something meaningful on Roblox, IROC Studios’ choice represents validation that creative expansion and platform exploration can be smart strategic moves.

    Ready to Explore New Creative Frontiers?

    If you’re a developer with a successful track record and curiosity about what your next creative breakthrough might look like, we’d love to hear from you. The Creator Fund represents our commitment to supporting ambitious visions from talented creators.

    Learn more and apply: https://creatorfund.hytopia.com/

    The most exciting developments in gaming come from creators willing to explore new possibilities while building on their proven expertise. Whether you’ve found success on Roblox, mobile, or other platforms, HYTOPIA offers a chance to see what’s possible when creative vision meets platform innovation.

    Welcome to the Creator Fund, IROC Studios. Let’s build the future of gaming together.

    For more information about the HYTOPIA Creator Fund, visit https://creatorfund.hytopia.com/

  • Exciting Updates in HYTOPIA: SDK, Creator Fund, and More

    Exciting Updates in HYTOPIA: SDK, Creator Fund, and More

    Gm HYTOPIA community! We’ve been busy this week shipping some exciting updates across our platform. From major SDK enhancements to launching our creator fund, here’s everything new in the HYTOPIA ecosystem.

    SDK Gets Major Upgrades

    Our development team has been hard at work making HYTOPIA more powerful and accessible for creators.

    New Developer Tools

    • Public Telemetry Settings – Developers can now integrate their own analytics providers
    • Three.JS Exposure – Direct access to Three.JS for advanced UI customization
    • GLTFLoader Integration – Streamlined 3D model loading for creators

    Performance & Quality of Life

    • Windows Developer Support – Made Mediasoup optional to simplify Windows development workflows
    • Optimized Physics – Environmental entities now skip unnecessary collision checks for better performance
    • Audio System Fixes – Resolved multiple issues that caused audio to suddenly stop
    • Visual Improvements – Fixed face culling issues with transparent blocks

    We’re also researching WebTransport integration for true UDP datagrams without head-of-line blocking – a technical upgrade that could significantly improve real-time gaming performance.

    Creator Fund Goes Live

    We’re thrilled to announce the launch of HYTOPIA Creator Fund, specifically designed for established studios looking to build flagship experiences on HYTOPIA.

    Image promoting the HYTOPIA Creator Fund, featuring two characters in a pixel-art style, one wearing a strawberry hat and the other in a green frog costume, with the text 'HYTOPIA CREATOR FUND: Build flagship gaming experiences on HYTOPIA' and a colorful logo.

    Ready to apply? Check out all the details at creatorfund.hytopia.com

    Farcaster Integration Progress

    We’ve been exploring Farcaster apps as a potential distribution channel and made significant progress this week. While we’ve hit some external blockers (landscape mode limitations and gesture conflicts), we’re actively working with Farcaster to resolve these issues. This could open up exciting new ways for players to discover HYTOPIA games.

    Enhanced Gaming Experience

    New Features for Players

    • Play Counter System – Games now track total plays across all sessions
    • Smart Game Sorting – Games will soon be ranked by popularity (currently in testing)
    • Play Count Display – Game cards will show total plays (rolling out soon)
    • Improved Gallery – Media no longer repeats in game galleries

    Coming SoonGame reviews! Players will be able to rate and review games they’ve played, helping boost their favorites and giving creators valuable feedback.

    Platform Improvements

    Creator Experience

    • Email Notifications – Creators now receive updates about game submissions, approvals, and rejections
    • Better Feedback – Game rejections now require detailed reasons from reviewers

    Technical Infrastructure

    • Item System – New read-only flags for NFT-tied items and improved collection queries
    • Marketplace Analytics – Enhanced tracking for item page views and sales data
    • World Editor Research – Ongoing improvements to environment model handling and skybox options

    Fresh Content & Assets

    Our art team has been incredibly productive this week

    New Animations & Cosmetics:

    • 11 new player animations
    • Updated crouch animation
    • Summer Straw Hat cosmetic

    Environmental Assets

    • 19 city-themed assets: bicycles, park benches, fire hydrants, parking meters, trash cans, and more
    • 9 volcano-themed assets: burnt trees, obsidian formations, and other apocalyptic elements
    A 3D model of a dead tree with a textured dark bark and irregularly shaped branches, primarily designed for use in gaming or virtual environments.
    A collection of three stylized crystalline formations in red and yellow colors, set on a gray base.
    A stylized 3D model of three purple and pink crystals arranged together on a gray base.
    Three stylized blocks of different shapes and sizes with a reddish-brown texture featuring bright yellow and orange veins, set against a gray background.

    Coming Next: More armor sets for player customization

    What’s Next

    We’re continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible, with our creator fund now live, enhanced development tools, and continuous platform improvements, we’re building the foundation for the next generation of social gaming experiences.

    Ready to start building?

    Have feedback on these updates or ideas for future features? We’d love to hear from you in our Discord community!

  • Latest Development Updates: Performance and Tools

    Latest Development Updates: Performance and Tools

    We’re excited to share some significant updates from our development team this week. Our focus has been on performance optimization, new creative tools, and expanding our platform capabilities.

    Performance & Optimization

    This week brought major performance improvements across the board. We’ve implemented an optimized allocation pool that dramatically reduces server-side stutters – games like Frontiers are seeing substantial improvements in smooth gameplay.

    We’ve also upgraded our chunk system with several key enhancements:

    • Faster collision detection – Chunks now use optimized voxel-specific colliders
    • Improved rendering – Opaque chunks are now processed more efficiently, reducing transparency issues
    • Physics optimization – Chunk collision meshes are now attached to fixed rigid bodies, significantly reducing physics processing time

    New Creative Tools

    Particle System Enhancements

    Our particle emitters just got much more powerful with new .pause(), .restart(), and .burst() methods. The burst feature will be perfect for effects like grenade explosions and hit indicators. We’ve also added sizeStart and sizeEnd options for more dynamic particle animations.

    Enhanced Block Rendering

    We’re introducing support for opaque blocks with alpha testing – perfect for creating realistic transparent materials like glass blocks.

    Game Improvements

    Frontiers Updates

    • Optimized environmental entity collisions for smoother gameplay
    • Fixed flower collision issues in Chitter Forest
    • Temporarily adjusted enemy behavior to prevent performance issues from excessive item drops

    Platform Infrastructure

    Migration

    We’ve successfully migrated our entire item system (marketplace, locker, lootboxes, and promotional items) from HYCHAIN to Base’s Sepolia testnet. This transition improves reliability and performance across all item-related features.

    Quality Assurance Process

    To ensure the best user experience, we’re implementing a new QA workflow for frontend updates. This means features will be thoroughly tested by both developers and designers before going live.

    Developer Experience

    • Game hosting improvements with better asset replication and ARM64 server support
    • Marketplace performance boost with ~30% faster query times
    • Create tool fixes to ensure Featured game tags are properly maintained
    • Locker enhancements with centered player models and improved rotation controls

    New Assets

    Our art team has been busy creating new content:

    • Chicken eating animation
    • Farming tools (iron watering can and hoe)
    A pixelated white watering can and a brown hoe against a dark brick background.
    • Bee models (baby and adult versions)
    3D rendered pixel art of a yellow beehive and two stylized bees, set against a dark background.
    • 12 new crop types including blueberry, corn, cotton, pumpkin, sunflower, and wheat – each with 5 growth stages
    • Improved wind animations (now called ‘idle’ animations for SDK compatibility)

    What’s Next?

    We’re continuing to work on transparency rendering improvements and exploring new ways to enhance the development experience. Thank you for your continued support and feedback – it helps us prioritize the features that matter most to our community.

    Stay tuned for more updates next week!

  • HYTOPIA May Update: A Month of Major Breakthroughs

    HYTOPIA May Update: A Month of Major Breakthroughs

    Hey HYTOPIA Community!

    May was a month of massive technical leaps, quality-of-life upgrades, and foundational improvements that make HYTOPIA more powerful than ever. From a complete World Editor overhaul to game-changing SDK features like world switching and wedge colliders, here’s everything you need to know:

    World Editor: From Spaghetti to Stability

    “The Great Refactor”: We kicked off the month with a crucial foundation update to our world editor at build.hytopia.com.

    Major New Features:

    • Redesigned UI with compact sidebar toggle for smaller screens
    • Placement Size Tools: Choose from 1×1, 3×3, 5×5, and diamond placement patterns
    • Smart Search: Find blocks, models, and schematics instantly
    • Schematics Tab: Save and reuse AI-generated structures
    • Remove Hidden Blocks Tool: Automatically hollow out terrain for optimization

    Performance Gains:

    • Chunks now load 2-4x faster on initial load
    • Instanced meshing for previews dramatically improves frame rates
    • Eliminated redundant rebuilds that were happening every 10 seconds

    Creator Dashboard: Complete Control for Developers

    The launch of our Creator Dashboard at hytopia.com/create, give developers a comprehensive self-service platform:

    • Direct Upload: Upload game packages without intermediaries
    • Customization Suite: Control settings, tags, and media galleries
    • Live Testing Environment: Test your games in real-time
    • Real-time Crash Reports: Debug issues as they happen
    • One-Click Review Submission: Streamlined publishing process

    SDK Evolution: Power and Performance

    SDK 0.4.5: Introducing Wedge Colliders

    We introduced wedge colliders – essentially “ramps” that players can walk up smoothly. This opened up entirely new possibilities for level design:

    • Create stairs, ramps, and sloped terrain
    • Fully configurable in x, y, z directions
    • modelPreferredShape: Tell the engine what physics shape to use for automatic collider generation
    • Support for trimesh colliders that tightly match model visuals

    SDK 0.5.2: World Switching Revolution

    This major release introduced World Switching capabilities through the new WorldManager:

    • Multiple Worlds: Create complex multi-area experiences
    • Swimming Mechanics: Full swimming support with automatic liquid detection
    • Performance Optimizations: Significant engine improvements across the board
    • Breaking Changes: Refactored PlayerEntity to DefaultPlayerEntity for better extensibility

    SDK 0.6.1: The Performance Update

    We delivered massive performance optimizations that affect every aspect of the engine:

    • New Player Controller: 48 animations available with dramatically improved movement
    • Skybox Control: Adjust brightness via world.setSkyboxIntensity() for day/night cycles
    • Flexible World Creation: Optional automatic world creation for more control
    • Enhanced Entity Controllers: Automatic animation triggers for move, idle, jump states

    SDK 0.6.5: Polish and Fixes

    We wrapped up the month with important quality-of-life improvements:

    • Fixed applyImpulse: Now works correctly with players for knockback and external forces
    • Debug Rendering: Visualize colliders and sensors without performance impact
    • Selective Debug Views: Control what collider types render in debug mode

    What’s Next?

    While we’ve made incredible progress, we’re not stopping here. Our roadmap includes:

    • Enhanced Collider Support: Trimesh for precise model matching, wedge for stairs/ramps, and sensor for non-colliding areas
    • Missing Texture System Fix: Complete overhaul of the texture pipeline
    • Visual Collider Representation: See collider types directly in the editor
    • One of the most exciting upgrade coming to the default character animations and movements in the next HYTOPIA SDK release

    Founder’s Corner: Leading by Example

    Our co-founders aren’t just building the platform, they’re actively creating games that showcase HYTOPIA’s incredible versatility and push our tools to their limits.

    Arkdev: “Frontiers” – Farming Meets MMORPG

    Arkdev has been hard at work on “Frontiers,” an ambitious farming-sim/MMORPG crossover that’s already demonstrating some of our latest SDK features in action:

    Arkdev implemented a complete day/night cycle system. Each full cycle runs 24 minutes in real-time, creating dynamic gameplay opportunities as the world transitions from day to night.

    The game features intelligent NPC pathfinding around cities and recently gained a dodge roll mechanic inspired by souls-like games.

    Temptranquil: Tower Defense Excellence

    Temptranquil is pushing HYTOPIA in a completely different direction with a top-down tower defense game that showcases our engine’s incredible flexibility:

    Managing tons of projectiles, enemies, towers, upgrades, and waves simultaneously—all while maintaining smooth performance thanks to our May performance optimizations.

    From 3D adventures to top-down strategy games, this project proves that HYTOPIA isn’t limited to any single game type. The same engine that powers farming sims and MMORPGs can seamlessly handle real-time strategy mechanics.

    Both projects are perfect examples of how our May updates—from performance optimizations to advanced physics—translate into real gameplay innovations. Our founders aren’t just talking about what’s possible with HYTOPIA; they’re building it.

    Community Appreciation

    Special recognition goes to our community contributor who tackled the complex codebase refactoring that made much of May’s progress possible. The HYTOPIA platform thrives because of developers like you who push the boundaries of what’s possible.

    May 2025 proved that HYTOPIA is more than just a game development platform, we’re building the foundation for the next generation of multiplayer experiences. With improved stability, powerful new features, and a relentless focus on performance, we can’t wait to see what you’ll create.

    Ready to start building? Visit build.hytopia.com to try the latest editor, or check out our Creator Dashboard to publish your next game.

    Game Jam #3 is starting soon! Register at gamejam.hytopia.com and put these new tools to the test.

  • HYTOPIA Update: The Great Refactor & Platform-Wide Improvements

    HYTOPIA Update: The Great Refactor & Platform-Wide Improvements

    Hey Hytopians!

    We’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make HYTOPIA smoother, faster, and more powerful than ever—and today, we’re thrilled to unveil a massive wave of improvements.

    From a completely revamped World Editor to SDK optimizations and gameplay refinements, this update is all about stability, performance, and quality-of-life upgrades. Let’s dive in.

    World Editor 1.6 – ‘The Great Refactor’

    We’re thrilled to announce the release of World Editor 1.6, our most stable version yet. Many of you have been avoiding the editor due to instability, but we’re confident you can now rely on it without losing your work.

    Key New Features:

    • Redesigned UI with a ‘Compact Sidebar’ toggle for better use on smaller screens
    • Placement Size Returns. Choose from 1×1, 3×3, 5×5, and diamond/+ placement patterns
    • Search Bar added to Blocks, Models, and Schematics sidebar
    • New ‘Options’ Panel on the right-hand side for selected tools
    • Export Options for individual models and blocks as .zip files
    • ‘Schematics’ Tab to store AI-generated structures
    • ‘Remove Hidden Blocks’ Tool to automatically hollow out terrain
    • Environment Model Preview and Stackable Environment Models

    Performance & Stability Improvements:

    • Massive code refactor improving both performance and stability
    • 2-4x faster chunk loading on initial load
    • Instanced meshing for selection area preview, schematics, and placement previews
    • Fixed numerous bugs including ghost model placement and import/export inconsistencies

    Check out the full World Editor update at: https://build.hytopia.com/

    SDK Improvements

    Our SDK has received several important updates to enhance both development and player experience. We’ve added basic telemetry to the server, making it easier for creators to diagnose performance issues. Visual enhancements include a new tint effect when players enter liquids, and liquids now render properly from the inside as well.

    Performance has been a key focus – we’ve moved chunk mesh creation to WebWorkers, significantly reducing stutters by offloading work from the main thread. Developers can now support multiple worlds within the same game, and players will experience fewer disconnections thanks to our new connection recovery system that gives them 3 seconds before getting kicked by the server.

    We’ve also fixed numerous bugs, including issues with collision boxes from JTF models, cutting related to “liquid” blocks, and texture atlas resizing problems. Players should no longer get kicked out of servers after a minute of play, resolving a frustrating experience many had reported.

    Game Experience Updates

    The Play Page experience has been completely overhauled with numerous optimizations to speed up loading times. We’ve added a stylish new loading indicator that shows the game as a background with useful tips, making the wait time more engaging. Individual game pages have also received performance improvements.

    For creators, we’ve upgraded our package validation system to use the same VM as actual game hosting, ensuring consistency between development and production environments. This means fewer surprises when your creations go live.

    Our matchmaking system now supports HYTOPIA SDK v0.54 and benefits from improved parallelism, making the matchmaking process faster and more efficient. The marketplace has been enhanced with real-time updates and better rate limiting for GET requests, along with improved matching algorithms that reduce load and response times.

    On the authentication front, users now get a smart account created upon login, powered by the Privy team. We’ve expanded our asset library with new tropical and environmental models including trees, tree stumps, mushrooms, flowers, and cacti. Player animations have been significantly improved, with smoother movement for the default player entity and enhanced swimming animations.

    Game hosting has undergone a complete overhaul, with all games now bundled at package validation time, reducing crashes due to new SDK releases. Game assets are now served through NGINX and a static web server, and we’ve ported all existing game packages to the new bundled format for consistent performance.

    What’s Next?

    While we’ve made significant improvements, we’re not stopping here. We’re actively working on fixing the broken texture system and adding support for various collider types including Trimesh (which uses the model mesh as the collider), Wedge (for stairs/ramps), and Sensor (non-colliding). We also plan to visually represent the collider type for each model to make development more intuitive.

    Special thanks to our dedicated team members who made these improvements possiblen and to YOU for being part of HYTOPIA’s journey. Stay tuned for more, and as always…

    Happy creating! 

    The HYTOPIA Team

    Follow us on X/Twitter | Join the Discord

  • HYTOPIA Game Jam 2: Time to Build – Celebrating Innovation, Chaos, and AI-Powered Creativity

    HYTOPIA Game Jam 2: Time to Build – Celebrating Innovation, Chaos, and AI-Powered Creativity

    The second HYTOPIA Game Jam has come to a close, and the submissions are nothing short of spectacular. This jam brought together creative minds from across the development spectrum to embrace the concept of ‘vibe coding‘—harnessing AI tools and the HYTOPIA SDK to transform bold ideas into playable realities. With a $6,000 prize pool up for grabs and a freestyle theme encouraging limitless creativity, participants delivered an eclectic mix of mini-games that redefine what’s possible in voxel-based gaming.

    Let’s dive into the highlights of this groundbreaking event and showcase the 11 incredible games born from the HYTOPIA community’s imagination.

    The Vision: Vibe Coding Meets Freestyle Innovation

    This Game Jam celebrated speed, collaboration, and AI-assisted development. Participants were challenged to push boundaries with the HYTOPIA SDK, crafting web-based games that prioritized:

    • Gameplay Innovation: Unique mechanics, fresh interactions, and unexpected twists.
    • Technical Excellence: Clean code, optimized performance, and polished execution.
    • Immersive Aesthetics: Striking visuals, intuitive UI, and atmospheric sound design.

    The rules were simple but demanding: build fast, think bigger, and let creativity reign.

    The Submissions: A Diverse Gaming Showcase

    From chaotic survival challenges to math-skydiving hybrids, here’s a glimpse at the standout entries:

    1. Among Cubes

    Trust no one—especially the blocks.

    A thrilling multiplayer game where trust is fragile and betrayal hides in plain sight. Players are divided into two teams: The Impostor (a secret player trying to eliminate crew members) and The Crew (working together to find the impostor). Features include real-time multiplayer, emergency meetings, voting systems, and fast-paced strategic gameplay.

    2. PaintballBlitz

    Unleash your inner artist—with bullets.

    A fast-paced, first-person paintball shooter set in a vibrant voxel world. With infinite ammo and no need to reload, this game focuses on nonstop action, precision, and movement in chaotic deathmatch arenas. The voxel-based maps feature dynamic structures for tactical combat, while paint splatters accumulate across the battlefield, visually tracking the intensity of each match.

    3. The Overseer

    Survive the AI’s wrath—or become its experiment.

    Outwit a malfunctioning AI warden in a decaying biodome in this co-op survival challenge. Players must defeat K.O.R.O. (Kinetic Operations & Resource Overseer) before it eliminates all players. The adaptive AI becomes faster and more aggressive as it takes damage, offering progressively challenging gameplay with environmental warfare, hazardous ground effects, and strategic shield mechanics.

    4. Sky Siege

    Command the skies. Crush the Goliath.

    Team-based combat where players work together to destroy the enemy’s Goliath (airship) by capturing and holding missile silos. Once the enemy’s shield is depleted, players can board the Goliath to take it down from the inside. Features class-based gameplay with unique abilities, squad mechanics, and objective-based progression.

    5. HyBounce

    Ricochet, react, reign supreme.

    A voxel-style character is shown dynamically jumping while holding a glowing disc in a colorful, action-oriented design, with the word 'HYBOUNCE' prominently displayed below.

    Inspired by Valve’s Ricochet, A high-octane disc-bouncing duel where players knock rivals off floating platforms. No jumping allowed—just precision timing and jump-pad mastery.

    Vibe: A nostalgic yet fresh take on arcade-style competition.

    6. Maze Dash

    Race the clock. Escape the undead.

    A timed, single-player arcade-style game challenging players to navigate a randomly generated maze from entrance to exit as quickly as possible. Adding to the challenge is a depleting oxygen supply and hostile zombies roaming the paths. Players can collect oxygen potions to extend their time while avoiding obstacles in this fast-paced maze runner.

    7. Free Fall

    Math has never been this thrilling.

    An educational journey through the skies where players dive through a vibrant tunnel filled with colorful voxel cubes displaying numbers. Players must solve arithmetic challenges (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) by falling toward the correct answers. Perfect for children learning math fundamentals while enjoying an exciting skydiving experience.

    8. Havoc

    Survival of the blockiest.

    A chaotic voxel party royale where adorable blocky characters dash, dive, and tumble through wild obstacle courses to be the last one standing. Features multiple game modes including race courses (Seesaw Survivor, Gate Crash, Bounce Rush) and survival challenges (Beam Blitz, Top Drop, Block Party), along with a progression system for earning XP and collecting rewards.

    9. Voxel Fall

    Fall Guys, but faster.

    Colorful game cover for 'Voxel Fall' featuring three surprised voxel characters on a grassy platform, floating blocks in the background, and vibrant sky with clouds.

    A platformer game inspired by Fall Guys featuring a compact obstacle course map designed for quick, timed runs. Players compete to complete the level as fast as possible, with a built-in leaderboard tracking their best times and ranking them accordingly. Simple controls make this accessible while offering depth for speed running enthusiasts.

    10. Pulse Floor

    One misstep, and the abyss awaits.

    A fast-paced, timing-based survival mini-game where players are trapped on a floating platform suspended above lava. Every few seconds, glowing statues fire beams that create deadly pulses across the arena floor. Players must time their jumps perfectly to avoid standing on tiles when pulses reach them, with escalating challenges including cracked tiles, sticky tiles, and various pulse patterns.

    11. BEDWARS

    Defend your bed. Demolish theirs.

    HYTOPIA’s first-ever Bedwars adaptation! Team up, fortify your base, and obliterate rivals with upgradable gear. Strategy meets sabotage in this fan-favorite mode.

    Prizes & Recognition

    With $6,000 split across winners, the stakes were sky-high:

    • 1st Place: $4,000
    • 2nd Place: $1,300
    • 3rd Place: $700

    While every game dazzled, only three could claim the top spots—but the real winners are the players who now get to enjoy these creations.

    Winners will be announced tomorrow via official discord & twitter handle, stay tuned.

    What’s Next? Play, Share, Repeat!

    HYTOPIA Game Jam 2 represents more than just a competition—it’s a glimpse into the future of game development where AI assistance and HYTOPIA SDK enable creators to build incredible experiences with unprecedented efficiency. The combination of vibe coding and HYTOPIA SDK has resulted in a diverse collection of games that showcase how accessible game creation has become. From educational experiences to multiplayer adventures, these submissions demonstrate that the barrier to entry for game development.

    Ready to play?
    Dive into these games now on https://hytopia.com/games/ and follow HYTOPIA Twitter for updates on future jams, SDK releases, and more.

    Build. Play. Repeat.

    P.S. Missed Game Jam 2? Join the HYTOPIA Discord to prep for the next one. The voxel revolution is just beginning.

  • Sunsetting the WRLD Name Service

    Sunsetting the WRLD Name Service

    The WRLD Name Service (WNS), launched with the vision of creating a unified identity layer for HYTOPIA (earlier NFT Worlds) ecosystem, will officially wind down operations. We’ve chosen to sunset WNS to prioritize new initiatives better aligned with our evolving roadmap.

    To ensure fairness and transparency, we are offering full refunds to all users who purchased WNS names through a streamlined burn-and-claim process. Below, we outline the details of the refund process:

    Refund Process: Burn & Claim

    All users who purchased .WNS NFTs will be eligible to claim a refund in TOPIA token based on the original mint price of their names. Here’s how it works:

    1. Visit:https://wns.hytopia.com/
    2. Connect Your Wallet and Approve the Refund Contract
    3. Burn Your .WNS NFT & Claim Your TOPIA: Users must burn their .WNS NFT(s) to initiate the refund. The TOPIA rewards happens in the same transaction. This action permanently removes the NFT from circulation.

    The WRLD Name Service was designed to bridge metaverse gamer-tags with decentralized domain utility, aiming to simplify cross-chain identity and resource mapping.

    To our community: thank you for trusting us with this vision. Your feedback and enthusiasm have been invaluable, and while we’re closing this chapter, we’re excited to explore new innovations. Stay tuned for what’s next.

    Thank you for being part of the journey.