Hazelight's director, Josef Fares, recently took the opportunity to clarify the studio's relationship with EA and announced that the team behind It Takes Two and Split Fiction is already hard at work on their next project. In an insightful interview on the Friends Per Second podcast, Fares, known for his candid remarks including the infamous "f*** the Oscars" line, discussed Hazelight's past achievements, current projects, and future aspirations.
For fans of Split Fiction, Hazelight's latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Fares shared that the team is beginning to brainstorm early concepts 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 stated, reflecting on his mindset post-release of Split Fiction. He emphasized that while Split Fiction has been exceptionally well-received, his focus and excitement are now directed towards the new project, which they started about a month ago.
Although Fares kept details about the upcoming game under wraps, he assured fans that more information would be forthcoming in a few years, given Hazelight's typical development cycle of three to four years. "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early," he noted, adding, "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."
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. Despite EA's sometimes controversial reputation, Fares described his experience with the publisher as overwhelmingly positive. "Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them," he explained. "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."
Fares praised EA for their respect and support towards Hazelight's creative process, emphasizing that the studio's autonomy is a key factor in their successful partnership. "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 has not only reinforced Hazelight's reputation as a leading developer but has also achieved remarkable commercial success. The game garnered high praise, earning a 9/10 in IGN's review, and sold 1 million copies within 48 hours and 2 million copies in just one week. This performance outpaces It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024, showcasing Hazelight's continued growth and success in the gaming industry.
