Streamers Win Hazelight Studios Trip After Secret Stage Completion

Split Fiction streamers have unlocked an exciting reward by conquering the game's secret "Laser Hell" stage, earning them a trip to Hazelight Studios. Dive into the details of this challenging feat and discover what's next for the studio following the game's triumphant launch.

Split Fiction Continues With More Surprises

First Players to Finish "Laser Hell" Challenge Earn a Trip to Hazelight Studios

Following its successful debut last month, Split Fiction continues to captivate players with hidden challenges like the "Laser Hell" stage. This notoriously tough level was recently conquered by Chinese streamers sharkOvO and E1uM4y, who shared their triumph on BiliBili. To access this stage, players must input a specific sequence on the elevator switches in the Isolation level, leading them to a laser-filled platform challenge.

Upon completing the stage, the duo unlocked a congratulatory video from Hazelight's founder, Josef Fares. In the video, Fares praised their achievement, noting that even most of the development team struggled with the level. He then extended an invitation to visit Hazelight Studios in Sweden. Fares later confirmed this on Twitter (X) on March 19, saying, "Congrats to 'sharkOvO' and 'E1uM4y' for finishing the secret challenge 'Laser Hell' in #splitfiction. VERY impressive! I will keep my promise and invite you both to Sweden for an early look at our next game. We'll be in touch!"

Hazelight Studios Working On Its Next Game

In a recent interview on The Friends Per Second podcast on March 17, Josef Fares discussed Hazelight's ongoing relationship with publisher EA and hinted at the studio's next project. Fares expressed that while Split Fiction has been exceptionally well-received, his focus has already shifted to the next endeavor. "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.’ 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 remained tight-lipped about the specifics of their current project, he mentioned that it's in the early stages. "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early. 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."

Regarding Hazelight's relationship with EA, Fares clarified, "Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them. 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." He emphasized EA's supportive role, stating that despite any negative perceptions of the publisher, EA respects Hazelight's creative autonomy. "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."

First Update and Hitting 2 Million Sales in 1 Week

On March 17, Split Fiction received its first update, addressing several community-identified issues. These fixes included in-game mechanics, minor online play glitches, and improved localization and subtitles across all languages.

Moreover, Split Fiction achieved a significant milestone by selling over 2 million copies within just one week of its release. This impressive figure outpaces the sales of Hazelight's 2021 Game of the Year winner, It Takes Two, which sold 1 million copies a few weeks post-launch and reached 20 million by October 2024.

Split Fiction is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest news on the game by checking out our article below!