A game titled “Hytale: Sandbox RPG,” bearing uncanny resemblance to Hypixel Studio’s Hytale, has appeared on the Nintendo eShop, and as many confused users suspected, it appears to be a blatant knock-off. Hytale’s developers say they’re already aware of the issue and are taking legal action.
The original Hytale is a sandbox RPG that launched in Early Access for PC in January 2026. Developed by the team behind the popular Minecraft server Hypixel, the title endured several delays and even a hiatus in development before making a huge comeback, debuting with 2.8 million concurrent players.
The curious thing is, despite there being no mention of a Switch release for Hytale, the game Hytale: Sandbox RPG launched on the North American Nintendo store out of nowhere on April 10. The developer is RoVi Ninen, who has no affiliation with Hypixel Studio.
The “fake” Hytale is priced at only $7.99 and is currently discounted at $4.99 (while the original game’s Standard Edition costs $19.99). The box art featured on the Nintendo store page closely resembles Hytale’s key visual art which, combined with the equally dishonest naming, suggests the publisher is attempting to mislead users into thinking it’s the official game.
Following inquiries from users on X, Hypixed Studio founder Simon confirmed that the devs were aware of the issue, with their legal team taking action.
In recent years, there has been a steady stream of cases where, after a hit game is released, knockoffs that mislead users into believing they are ports of the original begin circulating on both console and mobile platforms. Last September, an app that plagiarized the roguelike slot machine game CloverPit was released for iOS and even made it to the store’s bestseller chart, prompting developer Panik Arcade to issue a warning to users not to purchase it.
RoVi Ninen, the developer of Hytale: Sandbox RPG, appears to be repeating this tactic. Not only in the case of Hytale, but in January this year, they released Mage Battle Arena, which bears a striking resemblance to Mage Arena, on the Nintendo eShop, and in March, they released COIN PIT, another CloverPit copycat game. When COIN PIT was released for the Switch in January, the developers once again urged users on Reddit not to purchase it.
Although COIN PIT has since been removed from the store, Mage Battle Arena and the latest title, Hytale: Sandbox RPG, are still available for purchase as of April 14, when this article was written. While users are dumbfounded about how these games even make it to platforms like the Nintendo store, it appears that without firm action from rights holders, such cases are likely to go unchecked.
On that note, you can purchase the original Hytale via the official website for PC (Windows/macOS/Linux).
