There were several interesting and surprising announcements at The Game Awards 2024. Gamers were treated to their first look at projects like CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 4, Naughty Dog’s new IP Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Gearbox’s Borderlands 4, and many, many more. As equally exciting is Split Fiction, the next game from Josef Fares’ Hazelight Studios which also developed The Game Awards 2021’s GOTY winner It Takes Two. Featuring an exciting mixture of sci-fi and high-fantasy gameplay and settings, the game is looking to evolve the co-op formula once again.
Game Rant caught up with Fares during the show to get the lowdown on Split Fiction. He shared his feelings on why he can never play it safe and how, for him, creativity is king. He also gave a little insight into Split Fiction‘s story and how it focuses on friendship, while not shying away from difficult subject matter, just like It Takes Two before it.
8:56
Related
The 10 Best Co-Op Games To Play After Beating It Takes Two
Take a look at our list of the 10 best games to play once you’ve beaten It Takes Two.
Split Fiction is a Product of Hazelight’s Creativity
The safe, easy option for Hazelight would’ve been a direct sequel after the phenomenal success of It Takes Two. That said, Fares has never been one to take the easy road, instead choosing to continually challenge both himself and his team by creating new concepts and ways to push each new project to the next level. His games tend to juggle multiple mechanics, often straddling the lines between various genres, so great care must be taken to ensure the end product is as smooth and fluid as possible. Fares explained:
”We love to push boundaries and to try different stuff. I like to say we f*ck sh*t up without f*cking up. We just felt that we wanted to do something else that pushed us and this was something that we felt was a great challenge, so we just went for it. In a way, we are like dogs without a leash. The creative environment is crazy. There’s no one telling us what to do; it’s only me and the team. That’s where all the creativity happens, which means that we can create these amazing experiences with no limits.”
Split Fiction’s Key Theme is Friendship
Split Fiction will focus heavily on the friendship between protagonists Mio and Zoe (named after Fares’ daughters), which grows as the narrative unfolds. Players can expect to learn about their respective lives and how they ultimately become intertwined. Fares further elaborated on this:
”The more you play their stories, the more you get to know them and the stuff they have going on, without going into detail. The story is pretty much about friendship.
It Takes Two
tackled some heavy subject matter, but this one does as well. I think, in the gaming industry, we’re getting better and better at telling stories in video games, but I would argue that we’re not quite there yet. Hopefully, we’ll get better and better at finding the perfect interactive way of telling stories.
Blending sci-fi and high-fantasy settings is not something that is commonly seen this way, and at the very least, it should help Split Fiction stand out from other titles in the co-op genre. The gap between the game’s announcement and its launch in March is just a few months, so fans won’t have to wait long before they get their hands on the co-op title.
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi
Fantasy
- Released
- March 6, 2025
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Local Co-Op