In the ever-evolving landscape of video games, few developers have carved out a niche as distinct and celebrated as Hazelight Studios. Founded by the charismatic former film director Josef Fares, the Swedish-based developer has, in a relatively short span, become synonymous with innovative, emotionally resonant, and mandatory cooperative gaming experiences. Partnering with EA under its EA Originals banner, Hazelight has consistently delivered titles that are as much about shared human connection as they are about gameplay. Following the monumental success of It Takes Two, which clinched the coveted Game of the Year award in 2021, all eyes were on the studio's next move. The answer came at The Game Awards 2024, where Hazelight unveiled its most ambitious project yet: Split Fiction. Slated for release on March 6, 2025, this sci-fi/fantasy adventure promises to be the studio's most definitive and genre-defying creation to date.

Hazelight's journey to this point is a testament to its unique vision. The studio's debut, 2018's A Way Out, was a bold declaration of intent. While Josef Fares had previously directed the single-player narrative Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Way Out was his first true foray into co-op-mandatory design. The game told the gritty, tense story of convicts Vincent and Leo, forcing two players to work in tandem to escape prison and evade capture. Its genius lay in its asynchronous gameplay; one player could be actively controlling their character while the other watched a crucial cutscene, ensuring both were constantly engaged in the unfolding drama. The narrative culminated in a famously emotional gut-punch of an ending, solidifying Hazelight's reputation for powerful storytelling within a cooperative framework. There was no single-player mode—this was an experience built from the ground up for shared participation.

The studio then executed a dramatic tonal shift with 2021's It Takes Two. Trading gritty realism for a vibrant, storybook art direction, the game followed Cody and May, a married couple transformed into dolls who must repair their fractured relationship for their daughter, Rose. 🎭 Where A Way Out was an action-adventure, It Takes Two was a masterclass in genre fluidity. At its core a 3D platformer, the game seamlessly morphed into a third-person shooter, a rhythm-based music game, a top-down RPG, and more. Each shift was not a gimmick but a narrative device, reflecting the couple's emotional state and the themes of cooperation. This cohesive, inventive design resonated powerfully, earning the game widespread critical acclaim and the ultimate industry honor: Game of the Year at The Game Awards.

Now, with Split Fiction, Hazelight aims to synthesize and expand upon everything it has learned. The game introduces players to Mio and Zoe, two aspiring young authors—one a sci-fi writer, the other a fantasy scribe. Their creative worlds collide when they become trapped within sinister machines designed to drain their imagination. To escape and preserve their memories, they must literally navigate the stories they have written, relying entirely on each other to survive. This premise allows Hazelight to merge the action-adventure elements of A Way Out with the whimsical platforming and genre-bending prowess of It Takes Two, but on a grander scale.

Early previews suggest Split Fiction will be a kaleidoscopic journey through imagined realms. Players can expect to:

• Soar through fiery skies on the backs of dragons. 🐉

• Explore underwater kingdoms as mermaids.

• Embark on bizarre, humorous escapades—including sequences where the characters are transformed into pigs, which later hilariously become sausages.

This constant evolution of gameplay and setting is central to the experience, directly tied to the protagonists' clashing creative visions. One moment may feel like a high-fantasy epic, the next a hard sci-fi odyssey, all while maintaining the studio's signature focus on cooperative puzzle-solving and emotional narrative beats.

As the gaming world looks ahead to 2025, Split Fiction stands out as a beacon of creative ambition. It represents the next logical step for a studio that has refused to be pigeonholed, consistently using the cooperative format to explore profound themes of partnership, conflict, and reconciliation. By placing the power of storytelling literally in the hands (and imaginations) of its protagonists, Hazelight is poised to deliver not just another co-op game, but a meta-commentary on creativity itself. Building on the solid foundations of its predecessors, Split Fiction is more than a sequel in spirit; it is the culmination of Josef Fares and his team's journey, promising to be one of the most inventive and talked-about releases of the coming year.