Hazelight director Josef Fares has recently addressed the studio's relationship with EA and provided an exciting update on their future projects. Fares, known for his candid remarks, including the infamous "f*** the Oscars" comment, shared insights on Hazelight's journey during an interview on the Friends Per Second podcast. Following the success of their latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Split Fiction, Fares revealed that the team is already brainstorming ideas for their next game.
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 emphasized the unique reception of Split Fiction, noting it as the best-received game Hazelight has produced to date. Despite this, his focus has quickly shifted to the next project, which the team began working on about a month ago.
While Fares remained tight-lipped about the details of Hazelight's upcoming title, he assured fans that the studio's passion for co-op gaming remains strong. He mentioned that it's too early to discuss specifics, but promised more information within the next three to four years, as that's typically the duration of their development cycle.
"There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early," Fares 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 titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two, cementing its position as a leading developer in the gaming industry. Fares clarified that EA has had "zero" influence over the games Hazelight chooses to develop, emphasizing their independence.
"Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them," he said. "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 described his experience with the publisher as largely positive. "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 proven to be another triumph for Hazelight, quickly earning high praise from critics, with IGN awarding it a 9/10 in their review. The game's commercial success was equally impressive, selling 1 million copies within 48 hours and reaching 2 million copies in just one week. This rapid sales pace positions it to surpass the performance of its predecessor, It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024.
