Hazelight Studios
CompanySweden
Documents about Hazelight Studios
Game Developers Conference74 min
Splitting Fiction: The Hardest Level Hazelight Studios Ever Built
The final level of Split Fiction serves as a masterclass in cooperative game design, centering on a split-world mechanic that forces players to navigate synchronized sci-fi and fantasy environments simultaneously.
- Hazelight Studios refined the 'split-world' mechanic into a climactic finale rather than a game-wide feature to manage the high technical and artistic demands of maintaining two synchronized environments.
- The studio achieved visual disparity between sci-fi and fantasy worlds while maintaining performance by utilizing shared collision geometry combined with distinct aesthetic layers like color palettes and foliage.
- Designers forced constant player communication by implementing information asymmetry, where essential data is split between participants rather than allowing one player to lead.
Game Developers ConferenceOct 2026
GameDiscoverCo39 min
'Advance Access' games - why should you pay more?
Publishers are increasingly monetizing early entry to highly anticipated titles through formal advance access programs, typically charging a premium of ten to fifteen dollars.
- GDC 2027 has restructured its format to a Monday–Friday schedule, moving the festival hall to Tuesday–Thursday and introducing a new Business Hall at Moscone West to centralize networking and mitigate the logistical challenges of the San Francisco venue.
- Advance Access for games like 'Mortal Shell II'—which achieved 23,000 concurrent users—is increasingly being monetized through premium editions that charge a $10–$15 surcharge for early play, effectively creating a market for artificial scarcity and FOMO.
- PlayStation has begun de-listing publishers associated with 'shovelware' or low-effort games designed primarily for easy Platinum trophy farming, though the platform's enforcement remains inconsistent and subject to reversal.
GameDiscoverCoAug 2026
The Game Business24 min
Split Fiction’s Josef Fares on Clair Obscur success, AI fears and EA’s reputation
Josef Fares, the creative director of Hazelight Studios, emphasizes a philosophy of prioritizing creative vision over market data to drive game development.
- Hazelight Studios has achieved significant commercial success by prioritizing creative vision over market data, resulting in 27 million units sold for 'It Takes Two' and 12 million for 'A Way Out'.
- Josef Fares explicitly rejects taking Hazelight public, arguing that the pressure to satisfy stock market stakeholders forces companies to prioritize short-term financial gains over long-term creative quality.
- The studio maintains a staff of approximately 80 employees and operates under a co-op-only design philosophy that intentionally avoids risk-averse, data-driven decision-making.
The Game BusinessJan 2026
