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

Hazelight director Josef Fares recently provided clarity on his studio's relationship with EA and announced that the team behind the successful games It Takes Two and Split Fiction is already working on their next project. Known for his candid remarks, including the famous "f*** the Oscars" statement, Fares shared insights into Hazelight's past, present, and future on the Friends Per Second podcast. He expressed that following the release of Split Fiction, the studio's latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, they are eager to move forward with 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 approach after launching Split Fiction. He noted that while Split Fiction has been exceptionally well-received, his focus and excitement are now firmly on the next project, which the team began working on about a month ago.

Fares kept details about Hazelight's upcoming game under wraps, citing the early stage of development. Known for their impact on co-op gaming, Hazelight plans to reveal more about their new project in the coming years, as their development cycle typically spans three to four years.

"There is a reason why I can't talk about the next game; it's because it's quite early," Fares 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. Games like A Way Out and It Takes Two have cemented Hazelight's reputation as a leading developer. Fares emphasized that EA has had "zero" influence over 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 clarified. "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, Fares described his experience with the publisher as positive, highlighting their supportive role as Hazelight progresses to future projects.

"With that said, I have to say, they're a good partner," Fares 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 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 quickly established itself as another triumph for Hazelight. It received high praise from critics, earning a 9/10 in IGN's review, and achieved impressive sales figures, selling 1 million copies in just 48 hours and 2 million copies within a week. This rapid success outpaces their previous game, It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024.