GamesActionI’ve played the new co-op game Josef Fares revealed at The Game Awards and the level of variety is unrealWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesActionI’ve played the new co-op game Josef Fares revealed at The Game Awards and the level of variety is unrealWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Split Fiction™ | Official Reveal Trailer - YouTubeWatch On
Split Fiction™ | Official Reveal Trailer - YouTube
Split Fiction™ | Official Reveal Trailer - YouTube
Josef Fares and Hazelight Studios aren’t normal, and I’m not just talking about the energetic charisma that makes Fares a highlight whenever he’s given a mic at The Game Awards. No one does it quite like the Swedish studio: Its games have online support but are designed around split-screen co-op—arguably a relic of videogames past—and are stuffed beyond belief with one-off systems, environments, and minigames, some of which only last minutes.
The studio’s next co-op adventure is Split Fiction: Fares just revealed it at The Game Awards, and earlier this week he showed me around a dozen of its levels. I leapt between flying cars, transformed into an otter, became a pig who farts rainbows (when I walked into mud, I was given the option to “wallow”), rolled through a level as a Samus morph ball, competed with Fares to perform downhill hoverboard tricks, got turned into a notebook drawing, piloted a sandworm, and rode a dragon—and that’s just the stuff I can talk about.
Split Fiction is about a pair of aspiring novelists who are trapped together in a simulation of their fictional sci-fi and fantasy worlds. In one bit, I was switching up gravity’s direction as the sci-fi author, but only for her, meaning I could reach places Fares couldn’t as the fantasy writer.
We often praise “systems-driven” games for the astonishing variety that can emerge from the clever application of math (to be as reductive as possible), but Hazelight’s brute force approach to surprise and delight commands a different kind of respect. There’s no magic formula here: You get the sense that the studio just rolls up its sleeves and makes fun stuff without fussing over today’s big game development trends.
“One of the big dragons, just that probably took eight months to do,” Fares told me, “and you play for 10 minutes.”
Image1of7(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
Image1of7(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
Image1of7
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
(Image credit: Hazelight Studios)
Hazelight’s peculiar dedication to co-op-only puzzle platforming might limit its audience, but findinganyaudience for a game is hard, andIt Takes Twosold 20 million copies. With results like that, there’s no reason to change course now, but Fares says they aren’t getting complacent.
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
“We want to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” the director told me. “We want to push what we can do. We fuck shit up without fucking up. Dogs without leashes, going crazy, every idea out there, it doesn’t matter who or what, as long as it fits the game, let’s go. So it’s an extremely creative environment, but we’re also very focused, because we did all this in a matter of three-and-a-half years.”
Split Fiction is set to release March 6, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, and will be priced at $50. Hazelight’s Friend’s Pass system is returning, which allows two people to play together online even if only one owns the game—it essentially brings the economics of local co-op gaming to online gaming.
More about actionAssassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codesLatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►
More about actionAssassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codesLatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►
More about actionAssassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes
More about action
Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes
Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’
Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’
All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes
All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes
LatestCruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you deadSee more latest►
Latest
Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead
Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead
Cruel is a frantic run-and-gun shooter where you boot cultists out of windows in a cursed apartment block that wants you dead
See more latest►
Most Popular
My Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early access
Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes a run at improving parkour, as Ubisoft strives to make the system less ‘like a gas pedal’
Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11
The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April
Lords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’
If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video
Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans
The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements
Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS
1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
1
Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
2
Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
3
Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
4
Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
5
Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits
1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits
1
Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits
2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback
2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback
2
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback
3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
3
WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
4Ikea Utespelare desk review
4Ikea Utespelare desk review
4
Ikea Utespelare desk review
5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
5
Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
