Hytale developers have reassured players after the necromancy scare in Early Access.

The sandbox RPG Hytale successfully launched into Early Access, raising funds for two years of development and becoming the most-viewed game on Twitch on launch day. However, its latest major update, which added a grimoire for summoning undead, sparked a wave of criticism among fans.

Players on Reddit expressed concerns that the new necromancy mechanic—the promised magic system—felt crude and inconvenient. The main complaints centered on the fact that the grimoire is consumed upon use, and the summoned skeletons only last for five minutes and don’t distract enemies.

Hypixel Studios CEO Simon Collins-Laflamme quickly responded to the “full-scale panic” on social media. He stated on Twitter:

“I’d like to add a disclaimer: Grimoire is NOT a magic system at all. Seeing Reddit panicking, thinking this is what we intended for magic, is insane. It’s just a random, fun drop, and it will evolve over time.”

He explained that items such as staves, totems, and grimoires were initially designed to be “weak” to avoid strange meta-strategies and potential exploits. Their purpose is to give players and modders a taste of what the game engine is capable of, for example, in supporting summoning mechanics. Later, all these elements will be combined into a full-fledged magic system with mana and spells.

Hytale, developed by Hypixel (known for its Minecraft servers), is positioned as a more adventure- and story-focused alternative to Minecraft. The game emphasizes deep modding capabilities and community support. Despite a successful launch in Early Access, the reaction to the necromancy update demonstrated how attentive the developers are to feedback and how willing they are to quickly communicate with the community.