Split Fiction
GameBy Hazelight Studios
18 documents in the library are about Split Fiction, from writers such as Alinea Analytics, GameDiscoverCo and The Game Business. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
- Articles
- 12
Connections
The documents about Split Fiction on the inner ring, the other games and companies they name on the outer one. Select a cover to see it up close and open it in a new tab; drag to move, pinch or Ctrl + scroll to zoom.
Key figures from the reports
Hazelight Studios has achieved significant commercial success with its co-op-only titles, selling 12 million units of 'A Way Out' (2018), 27 million units of 'It Takes Two' (2021), and 4 million units of 'Split Fiction' within its first two months of release.
The Game Business, 2026 · Split Fiction’s Josef Fares: “I would not be able to live without AAA titles”
Split Fiction, a co-op-only title from Hazelight, generated over $100 million in revenue on Steam alone, with an additional 3.5 million copies sold across PlayStation and Xbox.
Alinea Analytics, 2025 · Games with Co-op: Steam Market Analysis
Steam remains the primary revenue driver for PC titles as of March 2025, evidenced by the success of 'Split Fiction,' which grossed over $40 million on the platform.
GameDiscoverCo, 2025 · Nintendo Switch 2: What Did We Discover About Discovery?
Hazelight’s 'Split Fiction' dominated the March 2025 Steam market, generating $77.7 million in revenue with over 40% of its player base located in China.
Alinea Analytics, 2025 · Top 10 New Releases on Steam: March 2025
On Steam
Steam estimates as of 9 Oct 2026. Revenue is premium revenue on Steam only: game sales, without DLC.
- Revenue to date
- $293.9M
- Units sold
- 7.6M
- Last 12 months
- $40.9M
- 1.2M units
- Price
- $49.99
- Positive reviews
- 97%
- of 128K reviews
- Peak players
- 259K
- at the same time
- Followers
- 226K
- Average playtime
- 18 h
| Year | Share of the best year | Revenue | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $265.0M | 6.7M | |
| 2026 so far | $28.8M | 887K |
On Steam since Mar 6, 2025 · Developer Hazelight Studios · Publisher Electronic ArtsSteam store page
Documents about Split Fiction
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.
How to Succeed in Co-Development: Sam Carlisle Interview
Co-development represents a strategic evolution in game production, shifting away from traditional, transactional outsourcing toward deeply integrated partnerships.
- Co-development is increasingly essential for industry sustainability, allowing studios to balance resources, diversify revenue streams, and scale production without the risks of hiring full-time staff.
- External development partners provide greater organizational resilience than traditional in-house models because they typically work on multiple titles simultaneously, protecting them from the impact of a single project cancellation.
- When selecting a co-development partner, the strength of the personal relationship and the partner's willingness to communicate problems early are more critical to project success than technical quality alone.
'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.
Electronic Arts Q1 Fiscal 2027 Earnings Results
Electronic Arts’ financial performance for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, covering the period from April to June 2026, demonstrates significant growth in profitability despite the company’s impending acquisition.
- Electronic Arts is nearing the completion of a $55 billion sale to a consortium consisting of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners.
- EA’s net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 (April–June 2026) surged 97.5% year-over-year to $397 million.
- Quarterly revenue reached $1.98 billion, representing a 19% increase compared to the same period last year, while net bookings grew 4% to $1.35 billion.
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.
Split Fiction’s Josef Fares: “I would not be able to live without AAA titles”
Hazelight Studios director Josef Fares emphasizes the necessity of maintaining a diverse gaming landscape, arguing that the industry requires both high-budget AAA blockbusters and smaller-scale titles.
- Hazelight Studios has achieved significant commercial success with its co-op-only titles, selling 12 million units of 'A Way Out' (2018), 27 million units of 'It Takes Two' (2021), and 4 million units of 'Split Fiction' within its first two months of release.
- Josef Fares explicitly rejects taking Hazelight public, arguing that the pressure to satisfy stock market financial expectations forces studios to make poor creative decisions.
- Fares advocates for a balanced industry ecosystem, warning publishers against abandoning AAA development in favor of a singular focus on AA titles despite the recent success of games like 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33'.
Annual Charts: The Most Successful New Games in Germany 2025
The annual charts for 2025 identify the most successful new video game releases in Germany, providing a comprehensive overview of consumer preferences across PC and console platforms.
- EA SPORTS FC 26 (Electronic Arts) was the best-selling new PC and console game in Germany in 2025.
- The top five best-selling new releases of 2025 were EA SPORTS FC 26, Battlefield 6, Mario Kart World, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Split Fiction.
- Ubisoft Mainz’s city-building strategy game, Anno 117: Pax Romana, was the highest-ranking title developed in Germany, securing seventh place.
Arc Raiders and AA Titles Redefine Success Metrics in 2025
The article examines how mid-budget (“AA”) titles are reshaping success metrics in the 2025 gaming market, focusing on sales performance, player engagement, and cost efficiency.
- AA titles are outperforming AAA releases in 2025, evidenced by Arc Raiders achieving a 92 Metacritic score and over 300,000 concurrent Steam players compared to The Outer Worlds 2, which sold only 60,000 units at a $70 price point.
- Subscription availability is not cannibalizing retail revenue, as demonstrated by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 selling 785,000 copies in its first week on Steam.
- Major industry shifts include Rockstar delaying GTA VI to November 2026, Amazon pivoting from in-house AAA development to AI investment, and Xbox reporting a 29% year-over-year decline in hardware revenue.
Attracting new players with ROG Xbox Ally will be a ‘longer journey’
The gaming industry is currently navigating a significant transition as major platform holders, particularly Xbox, shift from traditional console-exclusive models toward a hybrid console-PC ecosystem.
- The European gaming market experienced a contraction in the first 20 weeks of the year, with unit sales declining by 6% and total revenue falling by 2%.
- Despite overall market contraction, consumer spending per game increased by €2 year-over-year, indicating a shift toward higher investment in indie and high-quality, shorter experiences.
- The Asus ROG Ally is currently positioned as a niche 'frontier product' for enthusiasts rather than a mass-market device, primarily because its Windows-based software lacks the plug-and-play accessibility of native console operating systems.
Best-Selling PC and Console Games: Europe 2025
The European PC and console gaming market experienced a contraction in unit sales during the first seven months of 2025, according to data provided by GSD.
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the best-selling new game release of 2025 in Europe, though EA Sports FC 25 (released in 2024) remains the overall best-selling title for the year to date.
- Total PC and console game sales in Europe reached 71 million units through July 28, 2025, representing a 6% decline compared to the same period in 2024.
- Digital sales now account for 74% of the European PC and console market, an increase of 2% year-on-year, with digital unit sales falling 3% and physical unit sales dropping 9%.
PC/Console Gaming Index: 2025
The 2025 PC/Console Gaming Index demonstrates that action titles dominate the market, with approximately 262 million downloads year-to-date.
- Steam remains the dominant platform for PC/console gaming, generating approximately 450 million downloads year-to-date, which is nearly four times the volume of PlayStation.
- Monetization strategies are platform-specific: 79% of Steam downloads and 83% of PlayStation downloads are premium, while 39% of Xbox downloads are free-to-play, largely driven by Game Pass.
- Indie and AA developers drive the majority of the 262 million action-genre downloads, with indie titles accounting for 60% of total downloads on Steam.
Games with Co-op: Steam Market Analysis
Cooperative gameplay has emerged as a dominant force within the Steam ecosystem, serving as a primary driver of both revenue and new release performance.
- Co-op games generated $4.1 billion in revenue on Steam during the first half of 2025, marking an 11% increase over H1 2024 and the highest six-month total ever recorded for the genre.
- The top five best-selling new releases on Steam in 2025 are all co-op based, demonstrating that the genre currently dominates new release charts.
- Monster Hunter Wilds was the top-grossing new Steam game, generating over $380 million in revenue from 6.3 million copies sold.
Companies behind it
As the documents state it.