Hazelight's director, Josef Fares, recently provided clarity on his studio's relationship with EA and shared exciting news about the developer's next project. Known for his candid remarks, including the infamous "f*** the Oscars" comment, Fares spoke extensively about Hazelight's journey on the Friends Per Second podcast. Fans of their latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Split Fiction, will be thrilled to know that the team is already brainstorming ideas for their next game.
"For me, personally, every time a game is out, I’m kind of done with it. I’m kind of like, ‘OK, here’s the next thing,’" Fares explained, reflecting on his mindset post-Split Fiction release. He highlighted that while Split Fiction has been the best-received game Hazelight has produced, his focus and excitement are already on the next endeavor, which the team began working on about a month ago.
Fares remained tight-lipped about the specifics of Hazelight's upcoming project, citing its early stage of development. Known for their innovative approach to co-op gaming, fans will need to wait a few years to learn more about what follows Split Fiction. "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early," Fares noted. "You do know, at Hazelight, we don’t work on [a] game more than three or four years. Three or four years is not so far away. Then we’re going to talk more about it. It’s way too early, but just know this: we are very, very, very, very excited here. Very excited, and we started working on this a month ago-ish."
A Tale of Two Studios
Over the past seven years, Hazelight has collaborated with publisher EA on several successful titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two, cementing their status as a top developer. Fares emphasized that EA has had "zero" input in deciding which games Hazelight develops. "Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them," he clarified. "We say, ‘We’re going to do this.’ That’s it. They have zero, and I mean zero, thing to say about what we’re doing next."
Despite EA's mixed reputation, Fares praised the publisher for their supportive role. "With that said, I have to say, they’re a good partner," he added. "Nobody believes me. Whatever I say, they’re like, ‘Yeah, yeah. It’s EA.’ Look, I don’t know anything about what EA are doing. Maybe they’re f***ing up with other developers. With us, no. They respect us. They respect what we do. I’m very clear with them that they cannot interfere with what we do. Now, we have become one of their most successful studios."
Split Fiction's success underscores Hazelight's prowess in the gaming industry. The game not only received high praise from critics, earning a 9/10 from IGN, but also achieved impressive sales figures, selling 1 million copies in just 48 hours and 2 million copies within a week. This performance surpasses that of its predecessor, It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024.
