Hazelight founder Josef Fares has clarified his studio's partnership with EA and confirmed that the team behind It Takes Two and Split Fiction is already developing its next project.
The creative mind famously known for his "f*** the Oscars" outburst discussed Hazelight's journey in a recent Friends Per Second podcast interview. For fans of Split Fiction, the studio's latest critically praised cooperative adventure, he revealed that preliminary concepts for their next game are already taking shape.
"Personally, once a game ships, I'm pretty much done with it. I immediately start thinking, 'Alright, what's next?'" Fares shared, describing his mindset after Split Fiction's launch. "This one has felt particularly special. It's our most positively received project so far, but honestly, while the team is thrilled, I'm completely absorbed and energized by the new concept we've already begun developing."
Fares remained tight-lipped about Hazelight's mysterious upcoming title—its name, premise, or genre—explaining that development only commenced about a month ago. Though the studio has significantly influenced cooperative gaming, we'll likely need to wait several years to discover how they plan to build upon Split Fiction's success.
"There's a simple reason I can't discuss the next game—it's extremely early in development," Fares noted. "As you know, Hazelight typically spends three to four years on each project. That timeframe isn't too distant. We'll share details when the time is right. For now, just know this: we're tremendously excited here. We began active development roughly a month ago."
A Tale of Two Studios
Over the past seven years, Hazelight has collaborated with publisher EA on multiple titles. While games like A Way Out and It Takes Two have cemented the studio's industry reputation, Fares emphasized that EA has had "zero" influence on their creative direction.
"Here's what many don't understand: EA supports us—we don't pitch ideas to them," he clarified. "We simply announce, 'This is what we're creating.' That's final. They have absolutely no say in our creative decisions."
Despite EA's mixed standing as a publisher, Fares described his studio's relationship with them as overwhelmingly positive as Hazelight advances toward future projects.
"That said, I must acknowledge they've been reliable partners," Fares continued. "People often doubt me when I say this—they respond, 'Sure, it's EA.' Honestly, I'm not involved with EA's other operations. Perhaps they've challenged other developers, but with us? Never. They respect our vision and process. I've always been clear that creative control remains with us. Today, we rank among their most successful studio partnerships."
Split Fiction has undoubtedly become another Hazelight triumph on multiple fronts. Beyond earning stellar reviews from critics (including IGN's 9/10 rating), it achieved 1 million sales within 48 hours and reached 2 million copies in its first week. This puts it ahead of their previous title, It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies as of October 2024.
