Hazelight's director, Josef Fares, recently provided clarity on his studio's relationship with EA and shared exciting news about their next project. Known for his candid nature, famously highlighted by his "f*** the Oscars" comment, Fares discussed Hazelight's journey and future plans during an interview on the Friends Per Second podcast. Fans of their latest hit, Split Fiction, can rest assured as the team is already brainstorming ideas for their upcoming game.
Reflecting on the release of Split Fiction, Fares expressed his eagerness to move forward: "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.’ This has been a bit extra special. I would say that it’s been the best-received game we have done, but to be honest, everybody is super happy, but I’m so fully-focused and excited on the next thing that we already have started."
While Fares kept details about Hazelight's next project under wraps, he mentioned that work began about a month ago. Known for revolutionizing co-op gaming, Hazelight is expected to deliver another innovative title, though fans will need to wait a few years to learn more.
"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 EA on several successful titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two. Fares emphasized that EA acts as a supporter rather than a dictator of their creative process: "Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them. 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 varied reputation, Fares praised their partnership: "With that said, I have to say, they’re a good partner. 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 received high praise from critics, earning a 9/10 from IGN, but it also achieved remarkable sales success. The game sold 1 million copies within 48 hours and 2 million copies within a week, surpassing the sales pace of its predecessor, It Takes Two, which had reached 20 million copies sold by October 2024.
