Hazelight director Josef Fares has recently addressed the studio's relationship with EA and shared exciting news about their upcoming projects. In an engaging interview on the Friends Per Second podcast, Fares, the mastermind behind the memorable “f\*\*\* the Oscars” comment, delved into Hazelight’s past achievements and future aspirations. Fans of their latest hit, Split Fiction, will be thrilled to know that the team is already brainstorming ideas for their next game.
Fares expressed his typical 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 acknowledged that Split Fiction has been particularly well-received, describing it as “the best-received game we have done,” but his focus is already shifting to the next big project. Despite the early stages of development, Fares is brimming with excitement, having started work on the new game roughly a month ago.
While Fares remains tight-lipped about the specifics of Hazelight's next title, he emphasized that it's too early to discuss details in depth. He reassured fans that Hazelight typically completes games within three to four years, hinting that more information will be forthcoming soon. “There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early,” Fares noted. “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 acclaimed titles, including A Way Out and It Takes Two. Fares clarified that EA has had no influence over the projects Hazelight chooses to pursue. “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.”
Despite EA's varying reputation in the gaming industry, Fares praised the publisher for their supportive role. “With that said, I have to say, they’re a good partner,” he 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 cemented its status as another triumph for Hazelight. Not only did it receive high praise from critics, with IGN awarding it a 9/10, but it also achieved remarkable sales figures. The game sold 1 million copies within 48 hours and reached 2 million copies in just one week, surpassing the sales pace of its predecessor, It Takes Two, which had sold 20 million copies by October 2024.
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