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 hard at work on their next project. Fares, famously known for his outspoken comments about the Oscars, shared insights into Hazelight's journey during an interview on the Friends Per Second podcast. For fans of their latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Split Fiction, Fares revealed that the team is beginning to explore new ideas.

“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 following the release of Split Fiction. "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 upcoming project under wraps, he did mention that work began about a month ago. Known for their impactful contributions to co-op gaming, Hazelight fans will need to wait a few years to see what follows Split Fiction. "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 titles. While A Way Out and It Takes Two have cemented Hazelight's reputation as a top developer, Fares emphasized that EA has had "zero" influence over the studio's choice of projects. "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 varied reputation as a publisher, Fares spoke positively of their 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 messing 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 solidified Hazelight's success but also achieved impressive sales figures. It garnered high praise from critics, with IGN awarding it a 9/10, and sold 1 million copies within the first 48 hours and 2 million copies in just one week. This performance surpasses that of It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024.