‘EA is getting more shit than they deserve’: Split Fiction director Josef Fares defends Hazelight’s publishing partner
Fares says every publisher makes mistakes but “EA has become this bad guy”
Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares has defended Electronic Arts, saying he believes the publisher has been vilified more than others.
EA has published all three of Hazelight‘s games to date – A Way Out, It Takes Two and Split Fiction – and Fares is adamant that his studio’s relationship with the publisher is a strong one.
In an interview with The Game Business, Fares was asked about Hazelight’s relationship with EA, given that the studio has a reputation for being rebellious and EA has a reputation as a large corporation.
Fares replied that the partnership continues to work very well in his opinion, and that he believes EA gets more criticism than it warrants at times.
“There are a lot of great people at EA,” he explained. “They know how we work. They respect it and they leave us be. Let’s be honest, there’s not a publisher in the world that hasn’t fucked up now and then.
“Sometimes I feel that EA is getting more shit than they deserve. I mean, come on, Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, everybody’s done something that’s not good. But for some reason, EA has become this bad guy.
“For us, it’s a super good collaboration. I’m very open about. If it was bad, I would’ve said that in this interview as well. But we have a great relationship. I’m not saying that they haven’t done any mistakes like every other publisher.
“All the people I am surrounded with at EA are gamers. They love games. It’s not like I’m sitting with corporate people with suits. It’s not like that. And people should not worry, because Hazelight will do always what it wants.”
Split Fiction was released in March 2025, and within roughly two months had sold 4 million copies. The game, which is played entirely in co-op, follows two writers as they play through levels based on stories that they have attempted to get published.
“Split Fiction is visually streets ahead of its predecessor It Takes Two, but mechanically the two games are very similar,” VGC’s Split Fiction review says.
“The game is occasionally in danger of verging into repetitive territory with its constant shifting between two main environments, but its healthy selection of varied side-stories and its constantly changing mechanics ensure its gameplay remains engaging and entertaining throughout, even if the same can’t always be said for its story.”
Last month Electronic Arts’ proposed sale to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was approved by the company’s shareholders. The takeover will now require approval from government regulators to be finalised.
Should the acquisition be approved, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will own 93.4% of the EA Sports, Battlefield, and Sims publisher. Silver Lake Partners – an investment fund run by a US private equity firm– will own 5.5% of shares.
