Hazelight Praises EA as 'Good Partner' Amid Next Game Development

Hazelight's director, Josef Fares, recently provided clarity on his studio's relationship with EA and announced that the team behind It Takes Two and Split Fiction is already working on their next game. Known for his candid remarks, including the infamous "f*** the Oscars" comment, Fares shared insights into Hazelight's past, present, and future during an interview on the Friends Per Second podcast. Fans of Split Fiction, the studio's latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, will be pleased to know that early ideas for a new project are already in development.

Fares expressed his forward-thinking approach, stating, "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.’" He acknowledged the exceptional reception of Split Fiction, calling it the best-received game Hazelight has produced. Despite this, his focus and excitement are already geared towards the next project, which the team began working on about a month ago.

While Fares kept details about Hazelight's upcoming game under wraps, he emphasized that it's still in the early stages. Known for their impactful contributions to co-op gaming, fans will need to wait a few more years to learn more about how Hazelight plans to follow up on Split Fiction. "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early," Fares noted. He reassured fans that despite the early stage, the team is incredibly excited about the project and that Hazelight typically works on a game for three to four years before revealing more.

A Tale of Two Studios

Over the past seven years, Hazelight has collaborated with publisher EA on multiple titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two, which have cemented the studio's reputation as a leading developer. Fares clarified that EA acts purely as a supporter, with no input on the projects Hazelight chooses to pursue. "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."

Despite EA's mixed reputation, Fares praised his experience with the publisher, describing them as 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," Fares added.

Split Fiction has not only been a critical success, earning a 9/10 from IGN, but it has also seen impressive sales figures, selling 1 million copies within 48 hours and 2 million copies in just one week. This rapid success has already surpassed the sales of It Takes Two, which reached 20 million copies sold by October 2024, further solidifying Hazelight's standing in the gaming industry.