They Get So Much Sh*t They Don’t Deserve

Electronic Arts (EA) has published Hazelight Studios’ last two games, It Takes Two and Split Fiction, through its EA Originals publishing arm. Hazelight founder Josef Fares is a vocal personality in the gaming industry, garnering significant popularity from fans because of his passionate opinions on gaming. Despite the negative reputation of Electronic Arts, Fares has always been positive about the relationship between Hazelight and its publisher.

In a recent interview with Edge Magazine (thanks, GamesRadar+), Fares offered his opinion on EA. He says, in contrast to the amount of pushback he received in the earlier years of his career, “EA definitely never interferes with any of development. And I mean zero.” Fares has always been firm in his studio’s distaste for microtransactions, and Electronic Arts has consistently demonstrated its undying love for them. However, according to Fares, EA has never pushed Hazelight to employ these practices.

It should be noted that Hazelight is not owned by Electronic Arts, so the latter’s authority over the former is limited to whatever was agreed in the pair’s publishing contract. First-party studios like BioWare and DICE don’t have this luxury as they are wholly owned by EA.

Props to EA

“I’m gonna give EA props for actually believing in, and backing up, the vision,” Fares continued. “They never interfere. Sometimes, I think they get so much sh*t they don’t deserve. I don’t know how they work with others, but with us, it’s super good.” Fares goes on to speak about how a developer needs to have a clear vision when they make an agreement with a publisher because failure to deliver a strong product in a timely manner can and does result in a publisher becoming more heavy-handed to protect their investment.

Whether EA deserves its negative publicity is a subjective matter, but the company has not endeared itself to the gaming community over the years. A well-documented crunch culture, excessive monetisation, the acquisition and subsequent closure of beloved studios and behind-the-scenes reports of EA strong-arming its studios have contributed to the company’s negative image.

“Publishers sometimes f*ck up and make stupid decisions – ‘we need to do this for the money’,” Fares admitted. “That’s why I say clearly: no microtransactions, no lootboxes. I think it’s very important to understand we’re working with creativity. We have to push the medium forward. We can’t implement that sh*t and, at Hazelight, it will never happen.”

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Released

March 6, 2025

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Violence