Devblog #4 - Time for a Change

This year has been challenging for us. For the first time, we’re not running Cytooxien as a hobby, but as a full-time project — without investors, without external support, relying solely on our small talented team and over a decade of experience. With limited resources, we’re working to build a Minecraft network that delivers top-tier quality and can stand strong internationally. The expectations placed on us are high, while our room for experimentation is small. Continuous improvement is essential right now, and there’s little time to get lost in the details.

Despite all these challenges, we can confidently say that Cytooxien is growing strong. We’re making great progress and have many updates and projects lined up that will mark the next step for our server. We’d also like to express our thanks for the positive feedback on our recent Skyblock and Minecraft Party updates. We’ve reworked some of our oldest and most established systems from the ground up — a step that certainly wasn’t without risk. All the more reason we’re thrilled to see these updates received so well.

We’re shutting down servers

Let’s start with the less pleasant news: we’ll be retiring a few of our servers and game modes. Factions has already been shut down, and City SMP as well as Reallife will follow shortly. This decision isn’t based solely on numbers or statistics - otherwise we would have made it years ago. We know that many of you still hop onto these servers from time to time and have countless memories tied to them. We’ve poured an incredible amount of time and passion into these projects ourselves. Still, the time has come to shift our focus, consolidate our resources, and make room for new ideas and upcoming projects.

Let’s be honest: some of our game concepts - like Reallife - are now more than ten years old. Our first Reallife server launched in 2013 under the name Cytopia and quickly became a core part of Cytooxien. Citybuild dates back to 2011 and marks the very beginning of our network, and our first PvP server — the foundation of what later became known as Factions — was released in 2012. These three concepts all originated in Cytooxien’s earliest years. And although we continued to modernize them and push technical boundaries, it has become increasingly difficult to truly stand out with these types of modes today. In the end, it often comes down to who markets it best — and that’s simply not what we want to focus on.

The development of Minecraft Java in recent years has given us far more creative freedom. As a result, our expectations for ourselves have grown as well: we don’t just want to run simple Minecraft servers anymore - we want to build immersive online worlds that captivate players through unique gameplay and a high-quality experience. To achieve that with these older modes, we would have to reinvent them from the ground up. And that’s exactly what we tried over the past year - both in terms of gameplay and in terms of marketing. But fully realizing this vision would consume a huge portion of our available capacity. Right now, we simply can’t commit to that without neglecting other major areas of the network. A successor to these retired modes is not off the table entirely, but it’s not something you should expect anytime soon.

What happens next?

We want to continue right where we started this year. With our recent updates, we’ve built a solid foundation and modernized favorites like Minecraft Party, Skyblock, and Cactus Tycoon in a way that allows us to expand them more flexibly and add fresh incentives to keep playing. Alongside further improvements, our goal now is to consistently enrich these games with unique new content.

At the same time, we want to make room for new ideas again. To start with, this will likely involve smaller projects — concepts that have the potential to grow over time or simply bring some fresh energy to the network in the short term. While we can’t share concrete details just yet, we’re confident that we’ll be able to bring several exciting new servers and concepts to Minecraft in the future.

Plans for Skyblock

With the latest update, Skyblock now has a solid foundation and we’re ready to build on it. Many areas are still not fully up to date, both in terms of gameplay and visuals, and that’s something we want to modernize step by step. New blocks, items, features, and systems will expand the gameplay experience, while older mechanics will be adapted to fit the modernized Skyblock system.

A special focus is going to be the Island Market, which we plan to expand significantly. Greater variety among the villagers, more diverse demands, and an extensive specialization system will give you new ways to optimize your market and increase your island’s economy.

Now that the core concept is in place, we still need to address some legacy systems – but at the same time, we can finally focus more on new content. This includes new mechanics that make your farms more efficient and give you access to new resources. We also want to introduce gameplay elements that go beyond traditional farming setups. The Island Market provides the perfect foundation for this: it allows us to integrate entirely new themes into the Skyblock experience without feeling out of place. A particular focus will be on future PvE content – so you can look forward to extensive expansions that shake up the existing game while opening up entirely new economic opportunities.

Plans for Cactus Tycoon

The season model of Cactus Tycoon already provides a great foundation to deliver fresh gameplay on a regular basis. To keep the grind from becoming repetitive, each season is packed with new content and adjustments that noticeably change the experience, making every season feel like a completely new adventure. To achieve this, the different worlds will not only introduce new resources and machines, but also entirely new gameplay mechanics.

In der In the upcoming season, you’ll discover Rustwood. This new world is situated between the Cactus Desert and the Coal Caverns, expanding the midgame of Cactus Tycoon. You’ll explore abandoned, overgrown factory buildings, vast forest areas, and a large lake, while gathering wood as a new resource. With this wood, you can generate energy using new machines even before accessing the Coal Caverns. But wood isn’t the only thing you’ll encounter there...

Development of the new season is in full swing, and as always, more details will be shared in our Discord soon. Beyond that, we already have plans for many future seasons. We can’t wait to continue expanding Cactus Tycoon with you and to grow the game a little further with each new season.

Plans for Minecraft Party

The long history of Minecraft Party still gives us plenty of room for improvements and new ideas. After bringing fresh energy to the core game with the coins and coin shop, we now want to shift our focus back to the minigames.

Many minigames and maps have grown a bit outdated over the years. We want to gradually update them and bring them up to the latest standards. Look forward to new takes on your favorite minigames and maps. In addition, we’re continuously working on creative new minigames, aiming to introduce a new one in nearly every update.

In addition, we’re working on major updates for our other minigames. We want to modernize existing games and, most importantly, start experimenting with new ideas more frequently in the future!

Of course, we hope you’re just as excited about the future as we are. We’re grateful for every player who continues to join us, no matter whether you used to play Factions, Reallife, or City SMP. If you’d like, feel free to stop by our Discord and share some of your favorite memories as we say goodbye. We’d love to see your messages!