Hazelight director Josef Fares has clarified his studio's relationship with EA, revealing that development on their next game is already underway. 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. Regarding their recent critically acclaimed co-op adventure, Split Fiction*, Fares shared that the team has begun brainstorming ideas for their next project.
He explained his post-release mentality, 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.’ This has been a bit extra special. I would say that it’s been the best-received game we have done, but to be honest, everybody is super happy, but I’m so fully-focused and excited on the next thing that we already have started.”
While remaining tight-lipped about details due to the project's early stages (approximately one month into development), Fares confirmed that Hazelight’s next title is in the works. He emphasized the studio's typical three-to-four-year development cycle, suggesting a release timeframe several years out. He added, “There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early… 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
Fares addressed Hazelight's seven-year collaboration with EA, emphasizing the publisher's supportive role rather than a controlling one. He stated, “Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them. 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 mixed reputation, Fares described the partnership as positive, highlighting the mutual respect between the companies. He added, “With that said, I have to say, they’re a good partner. 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's success further cemented Hazelight's position. The game achieved critical acclaim (including a 9/10 from IGN), selling 1 million copies in 48 hours and 2 million within a week—a pace exceeding that of It Takes Two, which reached 20 million copies sold by October 2024.
