Swedish-based developer Hazelight Studios has made a big name for itself in a fairly short time. Hazelight Studios, the creative outlet of former film director Josef Fare, has excelled in the co-op gaming world in its short life so far. The small developer has worked in partnership with EA as part of its EA Originals line to create titles with compelling co-op gameplay and memorable, emotional stories.
During The Game Awards 2024, the publisher announced its latest project. This new title, Split Fictiongoes in a more sci-fi/fantasy direction and is scheduled to launch in early 2025. After 2018's A way out and the 2021s It takes twothis new project looks to build on the gameplay from the developer's last game to build an even more definitive game.
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Hazelight Studios game lineup
A way out
Hazelight Studios' first project came in the form of 2018's A way out. Although it was not Josef Fare's first game – that award belongs to 2013 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons – This was his first real foray into mandatory co-op play. The story revolves around two inmates named Vincent and Leo who work to escape from prison and avoid authorities, complete with an ending that serves as a major emotional punch to the gut.
There is no single player mode in A way outso interested players must find a buddy to team up with if they want to play it. The game is somewhat asynchronous in its gameplay, in the sense that one player can be in control of their character while the other watches a cutscene. It's a unique take on the co-op adventure that provides plenty of action-packed set pieces to go along with some emotional storytelling.
It takes two
The studio's next project was in 2021 It takes twowhich was a big tonal change of pace for Hazelight. Compared to A way outs more gritty design, It takes two goes for a much more vibrant and colorful art direction. The writing still takes many emotional turns, but the story revolves around Cody and May, a married couple on the rocks who turn into dolls and must work to fix their relationship for the sake of their young daughter Rose.
Where A way out centered on action-heavy gameplay, It takes two is a platform game that switches genres at will. Despite being primarily a platformer, the game also becomes a third-person shooter, a rhythm game, and even a top-down RPG. It's all done in an incredibly cohesive way and in service of the game as a whole, and its success was enough to earn Hazelight a Game of the Year win at The Game Awards 2021.
Where
A way out
centered heavily on action-heavy gameplay,
It takes two
is a platform game that switches genres at will.
Split Fiction
Three years after the award win, Josef Fares and his team returned to The Game Awards 2024 to announce the next project, Split Fiction. Another co-op adventure from Hazelight, this title revolves around two young women named Mio and Zoe who write sci-fi and fantasy stories respectively. These two aspiring writers find themselves trapped in their own stories after being trapped in machines that try to rob them of their creativity, and they must rely on each other to break free without losing their memories.
Split Fiction combines the action-adventure and platforming elements of the developer's previous two games and builds on the genre-bending style of It takes two in a big way. During various points in the game, players can fly high in the sky on the backs of dragons through fiery places, swim through the ocean as mermaids, and even run around as pigs that later become sausages. It's the latest step in Hazelight's creative journey and is sure to be one of the most exciting games of 2025 when it launches on March 6.
The co-op masterminds are back and pushing the creative boundaries with their new action-packed buddy adventure, Split Fiction. From the studio behind 2021 Game of the Year Winner It Takes Two, venture into a world that jumps between Sci-Fi and Fantasy to overcome varied and unexpected gameplay challenges with a friend. Split Fiction's vast array of ever-changing mechanics will keep you on the edge of your couch with surprising moments. Find out what happens when two radically different worlds collide in this serendipitous tale of friendship.
Story
Mio and Zoe are contrasting writers who become trapped in their own stories after being linked to a machine designed to steal their creative ideas. To escape with their minds intact, they must overcome their differences to crash the system that holds them, uncovering secrets and personal struggles hidden within their own fiction.
Key features
● True Co-Op Adventure – Split Fiction is an adventure tailored for two. As Mio and Zoe, you will experience split-screen co-op gameplay where you must coordinate your actions and timing, and work together to overcome challenges through unique worlds of fiction such as lush Fantasy environments and Sci-Fi silhouettes. This wild ride comes to you from Hazelight, the co-op thriller creators who brought you It Takes Two and A Way Out.
● Unparalleled variety – Discover new mechanics and abilities at every level of your adventure, which will alternate between sci-fi and fantasy. Escape a sun that's going supernova, challenge a monkey to a dance battle, try some cool hoverboard tricks, battle an evil kitten and ride everything from gravity bikes to a sand shark. Experience worlds that are completely different from each other, unexpected new abilities and a variety of games that include platformers, puzzles and more. There are surprises waiting for you and your partner around every corner.
● The Power of Friendship – Mio and Zoe don't get along at first, but soon enough they become each other's only hope. This journey will throw unexpected twists and turns at them and if they want to get through, they have to have each other's backs. They will both encounter bizarre situations as they go through stories born from their own wild imaginations. Most importantly – they will face everything together.
● Sci-fi and fantasy worlds – Venture into fantastic worlds and discover idyllic villages and mystical sanctuaries filled with magical creatures in Zoe's fictional world. Board a flying train and explore Mio's imaginary worlds of futuristic space stations, intense battlefields and more. Engage in hidden “side stories” – vivid snapshots extracted from the depths of Mio and Zoe's minds that go beyond Sci-Fi and Fantasy – where you can learn more about their pasts and the paths that led them to by Rader.
● More ways to play together – Friend's Pass – Hazelight's flagship feature that allows a player who owns the game to invite a friend to play for free – is back and makes it even easier to play with friends with crossplay options enabled for PlayStation, Xbox and PC (via Steam).
Action
Adventure
Sci Fi
Fantasy
- Released
- March 6, 2025
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Local Co-Op
