Hazelight's director, Josef Fares, recently took the opportunity to clarify his studio's relationship with EA and shared exciting news about their next project. Known for his bold statements, including the infamous "f*** the Oscars" line, Fares discussed Hazelight's past, present, and future on the Friends Per Second podcast. Fans of the studio's latest critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Split Fiction, will be thrilled to learn that Hazelight is already brainstorming ideas for their next game.

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 that while Split Fiction has been the best-received game they've produced, his focus and excitement are already on the next project, which the team began working on about a month ago.

Although Fares kept details about the upcoming game under wraps, he assured fans that it's in the early stages of development. Known for their innovative approach to co-op gaming, Hazelight aims to keep fans waiting no more than three or four years before unveiling their next title. "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," Fares noted, emphasizing the team's excitement and early progress.

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. Despite EA's mixed reputation, Fares clarified that the publisher 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 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 praised EA as a supportive partner, countering skepticism about the publisher's involvement with other developers. "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 not only received high praise from critics, earning a 9/10 in IGN's review, but it also achieved remarkable commercial success. The game sold 1 million copies within the first 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.