Hazelight Studios will never use microtransactions in their games

Summary

Hazelight Studios will never use microtransactions, according to its founder, Josef Fares.
Pares also promised that the studio is not for sale and will never be in the stock market.
Hazelight's staff has grown by about 23% since 2021 and currently amounts to about 80.

Hazelight Studios Will never put microtransactions in their games, according to the founder and director of the Swedish company, Josef Fares. This promise was shared as part of a new interview that also saw prices reflect on the possibility that Hazelight Studios is sold, among other subjects.

Hazelight was founded in 2014 and has developed a reputation as the manufacturer of some of the most convincing modern co-op games out there. It managed to do it with only two titles, One way out and It takes two—For during 2018 and 2021 respectively. The third game of the Stockholm-based studio, Fictionis scheduled to debut on March 6, 2025.

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Before FictionHouse Light -founder Josef Father's sat down with Minnmax's Ben Hanson for a quick video interview focused on the studio's past, present and future. About halfway into its conversation, Fares explained that Hazelight will never put microtransactions in its titles. The industry veteran then briefly described the studio's game design strategy as being of the kind “No Bull ****”.

Hazelight Studios' is not for sale, says founder

Elsewhere during the interview, Fares discussed the latest Gaming Industry Acquisition Boom and acknowledged that there has been any external interest in acquiring its company. It is as if it is, he himself has no interest in maintaining any offers. “Hazelight is not for sale,” Fares said unclearly, leaving that the company will never be in the stock market.

Shared fiction could have been called 'Worlds Apart'

The interview also saw prices reveal it Fiction was originally code name “Split.” Although this may suggest that the game's name was put in stone from an early stage of development, that was not the case – hazelight is also considered to be considered Worlds apart as title. This moniker was finally abandoned to be too generic, prices reminded. With regard to his recently expressed dislike for microtransactions, the feeling echoes what the director said in an interview in mid-February 2025 with Eurogamer, when he claimed that Hazelight will never make a live service game. Father's resistance to non-traditional gaming company models is something he has been quite right for several years now. Back at the end of 2021, he said he would rather be “shot at the knee” than to have hazelight embrace NFTs in any capacity.

Hazelight grew since 2021

Another takeaway from the Minnmax interview was prices that provided an update of Hazelight's staff and stated that it is currently “about 80.” The figure marks an increase of 23% from 2021, when he estimated the studio had about 65 employees. As the technical requirements for game development continue to grow, Hazelight's Headcount can follow – especially if Fiction approaching the success of It takes two Or at least One way outwhich sold approximately 23 million and 9 million copies respectively.

Source: Eurogamer