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 on the Friends Per Second podcast. Known for his candid remarks, including the memorable "f\*\*\* the Oscars" comment, Fares delved into Hazelight's past successes and future endeavors. Following the critical acclaim of their latest co-op adventure, Split Fiction, Fares revealed that the team is already brainstorming ideas for their next game.

Fares expressed his forward-looking 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 highlighted that while Split Fiction has been exceptionally well-received, his focus and excitement are already geared towards the next project, which began just a month ago. Although he kept details about the new title under wraps due to its early stage, Fares emphasized the team's high level of enthusiasm.

Fares noted, "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."

A Tale of Two Studios

Over the past seven years, Hazelight has collaborated with publisher EA on multiple titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two. Despite EA's varied reputation in the industry, Fares praised the company for its supportive role, clarifying that Hazelight retains full creative control over its 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."

Fares further commended EA for being a good partner, stating, "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 reached 20 million copies sold by October 2024.