Fares, who is as vocal as he is outspoken, essentially condemned what Electronic Arts, the publisher of his games, is doing.

Josef Fares is known for several games, as he and his studio were behind Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, as well as The Way Out and It Takes Two. Now the studio is working on Split Fiction, and Fares (who had a harsh opinion of the Oscars at The Game Awards…) took issue with Electronic Arts’ stance in an interview with Eurogamer. The publisher’s head, Andrew Wilson, lamented the fact that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had no live service elements and therefore considered it a failure (as we reported).

“Hazelight’s games will not have live service. I do not believe in it. I think live service is not the way to go. I hope more and more developers will focus on their passion and what they believe in. At the end of the day, we see clearly – and Hazelight is living proof – that if you believe in your vision and follow through, you can still reach a large audience. That’s what I want people to focus on. There has to be a balance. It can’t be all about the financial side. So, no, it will never happen with a Hazelight game. I guarantee that,” said Fares.

As a testament to Hazelight’s success, It Takes Two won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021 and then Game of the Year at DICE 2022, and Fares’ co-op game has also seen strong sales. This can’t be a coincidence: Fares was able to follow his vision without any interference from Electronic Arts. And lo and behold, the publisher was not very critical of what Hazelight did!

Split Fiction (which will require two players again after It Takes Two) will be released on March 6th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC.

Source: PCGamer, Eurogamer