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

Hazelight's director, Josef Fares, recently addressed the studio's relationship with EA and shared exciting news about their upcoming projects during an interview on the Friends Per Second podcast. Known for his candid remarks, including the now-famous “f\*\*\* the Oscars” line, Fares provided insights into Hazelight’s past successes and future endeavors.

Following the release of their latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Split Fiction, Fares revealed that the team is already brainstorming early concepts for their next game. "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 stated, reflecting on his approach post-launch. He emphasized that while Split Fiction has been exceptionally well-received, his focus is now firmly on what’s next. "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."

Although Fares was tight-lipped about the specifics of Hazelight's upcoming title, he mentioned that work began roughly a month ago. Known for their impact on co-op gaming, Hazelight's next project remains a mystery for now, but Fares assured fans that more details will be shared in the coming years. "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 EA on several titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two, which have cemented the studio's status as a leading developer. Fares clarified that EA has had "zero" input 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 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 sometimes controversial reputation, Fares described his experience with the publisher as positive. "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 reinforced Hazelight's reputation but also achieved significant commercial success. The game earned high praise from critics, with IGN awarding it a 9/10 in their review. Remarkably, it sold 1 million copies within the first 48 hours and reached 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.