Hazelight director Josef Fares has clarified his studio's relationship with EA, revealing that Hazelight is already developing its next game.
The creator of the infamous "f** the Oscars" line discussed Hazelight's past, present, and future in an interview on the Friends Per Second podcast. For fans of Split Fiction*, the studio's critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Fares shared that the team is already brainstorming early concepts.
"Personally, once a game is released, I'm done with it," Fares explained, describing his post-release mentality. "But Split Fiction has been extra special. It's our best-received game yet. Everyone's thrilled, but I'm fully focused and excited about what's next, and we've already started."
Fares remained tight-lipped about details on Hazelight's next project—its title, plot, and genre—explaining that development only began a month ago. While Hazelight is renowned for its co-op games, fans will have to wait several years for more information."I can't discuss the next game because it's very early in development," Fares added. "At Hazelight, we don't work on a game for more than three or four years. Three or four years isn't that far off. We'll talk more then. It's too early, but know this: we're incredibly excited, and we started working on it about a month ago."
Hazelight and EA: A Collaborative Partnership
Hazelight has collaborated with EA on several titles over the past seven years. Despite EA's sometimes controversial reputation, Fares described the relationship as highly positive, emphasizing EA's hands-off approach to Hazelight's creative process.
"People misunderstand this: EA is a supporter, not a director," he explained. "We tell them, 'We're making this.' That's it. They have zero input on what we do next."
Fares praised EA's supportive role: "They're a good partner. I know many don't believe me, but with us, they respect what we do. I've made it clear they can't interfere. We've become one of their most successful studios."
Split Fiction's success further solidified Hazelight's position. Its critical acclaim (including IGN's 9/10 review) and impressive sales—1 million copies in 48 hours, 2 million in a week—surpassed even the studio's previous hit, It Takes Two (20 million copies sold as of October 2024).
