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

Hazelight director Josef Fares recently addressed the studio's relationship with EA and shared exciting news about their upcoming projects. Known for his candid remarks, including the infamous "f*** the Oscars" comment, Fares provided insights into Hazelight's past, present, and future during an interview on the Friends Per Second podcast. Fans of their latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Split Fiction, will be thrilled to learn that the team is already brainstorming ideas for their next game.

Fares, the creative force behind Hazelight, expressed his forward-thinking approach to game development. "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 said, reflecting on his mindset post-Split Fiction. He emphasized the exceptional reception of Split Fiction, noting it as the best-received game Hazelight has produced to date. However, his focus is already shifting to the next big project, which the team began working on about a month ago.

While Fares remained tight-lipped about the specifics of Hazelight's next title, he assured fans that the studio is brimming with excitement. "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early," he explained. "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. Fares clarified that EA has had "zero" influence on the games Hazelight chooses to develop. "Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them," he stated. "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 in the gaming industry, Fares praised their partnership with Hazelight. "With that said, I have to say, they’re a good partner," he noted. "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 has also achieved remarkable sales success. The game sold 1 million copies within 48 hours and 2 million copies in just one week, surpassing the sales pace of its predecessor, It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024. This success story further cements Hazelight's position as a leading developer in the gaming world.