Split Fiction
GameBy Hazelight Studios
Documents about Split Fiction
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: “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.
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%.
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.
Chinese Audiences and the Launch of Wuchang: 2025 Market Trends
The Chinese market has emerged as a critical driver of profitability for premium PC games in 2025, necessitating a strategic shift for developers and publishers.
- Chinese players are a critical driver of 2025 Steam success, accounting for over 20% of the player base for top-selling titles and more than 50% of the 1.5 million copies sold of Stellar Blade.
- Strategic localization for the Chinese market, including full lip-sync dubs, regional pricing (e.g., ¥268 vs. $60 USD), and targeted promotions, is essential for maximizing AAA revenue on Steam.
- The game Wuchang launched to a poor reception in China, with a sub-20% positive review share compared to over 55% in English, Russian, and Brazilian markets, largely due to performance issues on lower-end hardware.
Nintendo Switch 2: What Did We Discover About Discovery?
This analysis examines the evolving landscape of video game discovery, with a primary focus on the implications of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch and recent performance trends on the Steam platform.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be an evolutionary market addition rather than a transformative industry shift, with backwards compatibility likely tempering the typical early-adopter sales surge.
- Nintendo is addressing eShop discoverability with a new 'Game Finds for You' feature that utilizes trailer-focused recommendations to improve OS navigation.
- First-party Nintendo Switch 2 titles are shifting to higher price points, ranging from $70 to $80, while the hardware faces a notable reduction in battery life compared to previous models.
March's Top 10 Games on Steam and PlayStation
The March 2025 analysis of game unit sales provides a comparative overview of performance across Steam and PlayStation platforms, highlighting the significant impact of co-op mechanics, aggressive discounting, and seasonal fiscal strategies.
- The extraction shooter R.E.P.O. led Steam sales in March with 8.7 million copies sold, significantly outperforming the second-place Monster Hunter Wilds, which sold 3.2 million copies on the platform.
- Ubisoft utilized aggressive end-of-fiscal-year discounting, with titles like Anno 1800 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint dropping to $6, though these fire sales pushed Assassin’s Creed Shadows out of the Steam top 10.
- Monster Hunter Wilds reached a total of 7.5 million units sold across Steam and PlayStation, with 2.6 million of those copies sold on PlayStation alone by the end of March.
Top 10 New Releases on Steam: March 2025
The March 2025 performance analysis of the Steam platform highlights a robust period for new software releases, characterized by significant revenue generation and strong international market penetration.
- 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.
- The title 'Schedule I' secured the second-highest grossing spot with $33.7 million in revenue, driven by a viral demo that achieved a high conversion rate despite a low $17.99 price point.
- Krafton’s life simulation title 'InZOI' launched in Early Access to generate $22.8 million, establishing itself as a direct competitor to 'The Sims' without causing a measurable decline in 'The Sims 4' engagement.
Split Fiction Becomes EA’s Second-Biggest Steam Launch, Triples It Takes Two’s Peak Player Count
Hazelight Studios’ latest co-op title, Split Fiction, has achieved a significant commercial milestone following its March 6, 2025, release on Steam.
- Hazelight Studios' 'Split Fiction' achieved a peak of 254,756 concurrent players on Steam following its March 6, 2025, launch.
- The game ranks as EA's second-biggest Steam launch of all time, trailing only the free-to-play title Apex Legends.
- Split Fiction's peak player count is more than triple the 71,039 record set by the developer's previous title, It Takes Two.
Split Fiction, Two Point Museum Debut Super Strong
The current landscape of the video game industry is characterized by significant shifts in consumer behavior, platform dominance, and financial structures.
- Capcom’s Monster Hunter Wilds achieved significant commercial success, selling 8 million units within its first three days of release.
- The UK video game market value fell 4% to £4.61 billion in 2024, primarily driven by a 26% decline in hardware sales.
- Indie publishing contracts currently offer an average advance of $675,000, with developers retaining 58.2% revenue share on deals with advances and 67.9% on those without.
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