Game development is a long and iterative process, often taking several months (if not longer) to accomplish something seemingly simple. Most gamers are aware of this fact, but it can still be surprising sometimes. For example, Split Fiction is an upcoming release from Hazelight Studios that, on the surface, looks fun and simple. But simple does not exist in game development, with one 10-minute gameplay section in Split Fiction taking the studio 8 months to create.
It’s worth highlighting, however, that game development does not happen chronologically. It’s not like Hazelight Studios worked on this 10-minute section alone for 8 months and then moved on to the next 10-minute section. Games would never be finished at that rate; instead, most game development happens concurrently across departments, with developers working on various sections at one time. Still, with a game like Split Fiction being defined by its zany, never-repeating, and sometimes buck-wild game mechanics, that’s a lot of time spent on its various gameplay sections. Game Rant recently spoke with Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares about this process and why he doesn’t like repeating gameplay mechanics.
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Split Fiction Hands-on Preview: Pushing the Co-op Envelope Again
Game Rant plays a few hours of cooperative, genre-bending title Split Fiction, the latest game from Hazelight Studios.
Hazelight Studios has learned a lot about its abilities when it comes to development and iteration across past titles, and that’s certainly helped Split Fiction and will help future games. But that doesn’t mean fans can expect turnaround times to be cut in half or anything. In fact, as Fares said, “Sometimes it seemed like, are we really doing this?” The section we discussed involved Split Fiction‘s bigger dragons after they’ve evolved. Players get to spend roughly 10 minutes with these dragons before moving on, but those dragons and that gameplay took eight months to create. As Fares said,
“We have the scene with the dragons that goes on for 10 minutes where they have the big dragons because they’ve evolved. Just one dragon takes like eight months to create. You played it for 10 minutes?”
But the reason Fares and Hazelight Studios like this is because it makes the gameplay of Split Fiction all the more special. At this point, fans know to expect Hazelight to go through various mechanics, with Split Fiction showing off dragons, cyberpunk elements, and even hot dogs in its gameplay. But if players were constantly on the dragons, facing off with some cyber threat, or rolling around as hotdogs, it simply wouldn’t be as special. As Fares added,
“We don’t repeat that scene because it takes the edge away from it. If you repeat something great, it’s not going to feel as special. The whole idea is that you’re doing it for that short amount of time, then not again. That’s the coolness.”
The “rule of cool” is an important one in the game industry, and when you combine the rule of cool with fun gameplay in a game like Split Fiction, it can end up being something special to gamers the world over. When Split Fiction‘s release date rolls around, it’s that “coolness” that’s going to stick with players throughout their time with the game, but it’s always worth keeping in mind how much effort even one moment can take. Moments and small details can make or break a game, and it’s always important that they get their due attention in game development.
Action
Adventure
Sci-Fi
Fantasy
- Released
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March 6, 2025
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts