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 teased the development of their next game following the success of It Takes Two and Split Fiction. In an engaging interview on the Friends Per Second podcast, Fares, known for his candid remarks including the infamous "f*** the Oscars" line, shared insights into Hazelight's past achievements and future plans. For fans who enjoyed the critically acclaimed co-op adventure Split Fiction, Fares revealed that the team is already brainstorming early concepts for their next project.

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 highlighted the exceptional reception of Split Fiction, describing it as the best-received game Hazelight has produced. Despite this, his focus has quickly shifted to the excitement of what's next, with the team beginning work on a new title just a month ago.

While Fares remained tight-lipped about the details of Hazelight's upcoming game, he emphasized the studio's commitment to not spending more than three or four years on a project. "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early," he explained, reassuring fans that more information would be forthcoming as development progresses. "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 successful titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two. Fares clarified that EA's role is purely supportive, stating, "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."

Despite EA's varied reputation in the gaming industry, Fares described his experience with the publisher as overwhelmingly 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 remarkable commercial success. The game garnered high praise from critics, with IGN awarding it a 9/10, and it sold 1 million copies in just 48 hours and 2 million copies within a week. This rapid sales performance has already surpassed that of It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024.