What was Minecraft Hypixel China, and why did it shut down?

As its name may suggest, Hypixel China was a specialized version of the popular Hypixel Minecraft server developed for the Chinese domestic market.

Although the original English-speaking version of Hypixel is currently the most popular Minecraft server in existence, Hypixel China recently closed its doors due to various problems.

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What was the Minecraft Hypixel China server?

As previously mentioned, Hypixel China was created for the Chinese domestic market and required a copy of Minecraft China Edition to be played. The server was operated, maintained, and translated in partnership with Chinese software conglomerate NetEase, which also published Minecraft China Edition.

In terms of gameplay, the server was comparable to the original English version of Hypixel, featuring many of the most well-known game modes such as Bedwars, Build Battle, and PvP.

Since Minecraft China Edition accounts are incredibly hard for those outside of China to obtain, the server remained relatively unknown outside of the Chinese market. This was despite the fact the server was a massive success within the borders of China.

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Why did the Minecraft Hypixel China server shut down?

On April 13, 2020, it was announced by the publishers of Minecraft China Edition, Netease, that the Chinese rendition of Hypixel would be coming to a close in June of 2020. This was stated to be due to an expiration of the original agreement made with the Hypixel server.

Hypixel China contained many custom server builds (Image via Hypixel)

Although not too much is known officially regarding the shutdown of Hypixel China outside of a very brief statement made by Netease, there has been no shortage of fan speculation.

Many fans have theorized that a core reason for Hypixel China's closure was its rampant cheating problems. This was primarily driven by the fact that Minecraft China Edition is free to play. Therefore, any cheaters could easily circumvent their bans within minutes simply via creating a new Minecraft account.

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Will the Minecraft Hypixel China server come back?

Despite being the second most popular Minecraft server in existence during its brief uptime, there seem to be no official plans to bring back the Hypixel China server anytime soon.

This is unfortunate for Chinese Minecraft Edition fans as they also have no way to play the original English version of Hypixel due to a multitude of internet firewall restrictions.