If you’ve spent any time at all on gaming Twitter—or X, if we’re being formal about it—you already know that a post from Josef Fares usually signals one of two things: absolute, unadulterated chaos or a surge of genuine creative passion. This week, luckily for us, we got a healthy dose of both. According to the latest updates from the Eurogamer.net feed, the founder of Hazelight Studios has officially confirmed that their next project is finally in the works. And honestly? It’s about time we had something to look forward to that isn’t just another seasonal battle pass update or a “live-service” roadmap that feels more like a second job than a hobby.
Fares recently dropped a photo of himself in a mocap studio, arm outstretched in that classic “nothing to see here” pose to hide the faces of three actors decked out in those iconic, ball-covered suits. The caption was short, punchy, and classic Josef: “Next game in the making.” While the rest of the industry seems to be retreating into the safety of remakes, remasters, and “forever games” designed to drain your wallet over five years, Hazelight is out here doing the actual hard work. They’re making us sit on a couch with another human being. And honestly? Thank God for that. We need more of that “f*** the Oscars” energy in game development right now.
The massive wake left by Split Fiction’s 2025 takeover
It’s genuinely hard to believe it’s already been a year since Split Fiction arrived and completely rearranged our brains. When it launched back in early 2025, there was a fair amount of skepticism floating around. People were wondering if Hazelight could actually catch lightning in a bottle for a third time, especially after the gritty success of A Way Out and the absolute generational masterpiece that was It Takes Two. But the numbers? Well, the numbers don’t lie. The game shifted a staggering 2 million copies in its first week alone. Even more impressive—and a little bit scary for competitors—is that one million of those sales happened within the first 48 hours of release.
That kind of momentum is incredibly rare for a game that essentially forces you to have a friend. In an era where “solo-queue” is the default, Fares refuses to budge. But that’s the magic, isn’t it? He doesn’t make co-op an “option” or a secondary mode you try once and forget; he makes it the entire point of the experience. According to a 2023 Statista report, the global gaming market was projected to reach over $282 billion by 2024, with social connectivity being cited as a primary driver of player retention. Hazelight has tapped into that better than anyone else by realizing that “social” doesn’t have to mean a 100-player lobby full of strangers screaming into mics; it can just mean two people in a room trying to solve a physics puzzle while arguing over who gets to hold the controller.
“Fantastic from start to finish, Split Fiction is one of the most inventive and joyful co-op games to date, and a testament to the power of human imagination.”
Katherine Castle, Eurogamer (2025)
The game was such a runaway hit that even EA—a publisher not exactly known for its sentimental attachment to indie-style projects—had to take a moment to bow down. In their quarterly financial report late last year, they specifically cited Split Fiction as a cornerstone of their strong Q4 in 2025. It was sitting right there alongside heavy hitters like EA Sports FC 25. When a niche, mandated co-op title starts getting mentioned in the same breath as the world’s biggest football sim, you know the industry meta has officially shifted. It’s proof that players are starving for actual innovation, not just incremental upgrades.
Wait, are we looking at a trio? Decoding the mocap clues
Now, let’s talk about that photo, because the internet has already gone into full detective mode. If you look closely at the mocap shot Fares posted, there are three actors positioned behind him. This is where things get interesting. Since A Way Out, Hazelight has been the undisputed king of the duo. But could we be looking at a three-player co-op experience this time around? It’s a risky move, for sure. Two people is a date; three people is a party—or a crowd, depending on how bad your friends are at platforming.
Changing the “two-player” DNA that has defined the studio would be a massive pivot. But then again, Fares has never been one to play it safe. He’s all about subverting expectations. If Split Fiction was about the duality of narrative and perspective, maybe this next project is about the beautiful, messy chaos of a trio. We know the team started grinding on this in early 2025, right as the Split Fiction DLC rumors were finally starting to die down. Fares has already described himself as “super, super excited” about the direction. For a guy who already operates at an eleven out of ten on the excitement scale, that’s actually a little bit terrifying. What kind of madness are they cooking up this time?
And then there’s the “Secret Level” crowd. If you were one of the few masochists who actually managed to finish the incredibly difficult secret level in Split Fiction, you apparently already know more than the rest of us. Hazelight has always loved hiding breadcrumbs and “if you know, you know” moments in their work. It builds a sort of mythos around their games that you just don’t get with your average Ubisoft or Activision titles. You’re not just playing a game; you’re joining a club. You’re part of a shared secret, and that’s a feeling that’s becoming increasingly rare in modern gaming.
The Hazelight antidote to the “Safe Bet” era of gaming
Look, let’s be real: the current state of AAA development is, frankly, a bit exhausting. We’re seeing a massive, industry-wide trend toward “safe” bets. According to a 2024 report by Newzoo, the average development time for a major franchise title has ballooned to five or even seven years. This astronomical cost has led many studios to stick to established IPs and sequels rather than taking any real creative risks. This is why Hazelight feels like such a breath of fresh air. They aren’t just making It Takes Three because the first one sold well. They’re making something entirely new, every single time, even if it means starting from scratch with their mechanics.
Whether you’re playing on PS5, PC, or Xbox, a Hazelight game is an event. It’s one of the few times I actually see people inviting friends over to their house specifically to play a video game. It brings back that 90s nostalgia of sitting on the floor, eating cold pizza, and yelling at the screen, but it does so with modern, high-fidelity mechanics that don’t feel dated or clunky. They’ve managed to weaponize nostalgia without ever feeling like they’re stuck in the past. It’s about the feeling of the room, not just the pixels on the screen.
The fact that EA is still backing them is also a great sign for the “EA Originals” program. It shows that even the biggest suits in the industry recognize that you need a wild card in the deck. You need the guy who will go on stage at an awards show and say exactly what’s on his mind, because that’s the same guy who is going to push his developers to create a mechanic that no one has ever seen before. In a world of focus groups and corporate polish, we need the chaos energy that Fares brings to the table.
The long game: What to expect while we wait for 2027
We’re likely a long way off from seeing an actual trailer. If they only started full production in early 2025, we’re probably looking at a 2027 release window at the absolute earliest. But the hype train has already left the station and it’s picking up speed. The mystery of the three actors, the massive momentum from Split Fiction, and the sheer unpredictability of Josef Fares make this one of the most anticipated projects in the entire industry right now.
For now, if you haven’t played Split Fiction yet, do yourself a favor and find a friend. Call someone up, invite them over, and just play. It’s a testament to what happens when a studio stops worrying about microtransactions, battle passes, and engagement metrics, and starts worrying about whether or not a game is actually fun. Hazelight isn’t just making games; they’re making memories. And in 2026 and beyond, that’s a lot more valuable than any “meta” or “live-service” roadmap could ever be.
Is the next Hazelight game a sequel to It Takes Two?
It’s highly unlikely. Josef Fares has a very clear history of creating entirely new IPs for each major release. While the “spirit” of co-op remains the foundation of everything they do, the studio tends to move on to fresh concepts and stories rather than retreading old ground with direct sequels. They’d rather shock you with something new than give you more of the same.
Will the new game be available on Nintendo Switch?
While It Takes Two eventually made its way to the Switch, Hazelight’s newer titles like Split Fiction were designed from the ground up with the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X in mind. A release on the current Switch seems unlikely, but a “Switch 2” release is much more probable given that the 2027-2028 timeline aligns perfectly with the next generation of hardware.
Can you play Hazelight games solo?
Generally speaking, no. Hazelight’s entire design philosophy is built around “mandated co-op.” You literally cannot play these games without a second (or potentially third) player. However, they are famous for their “Friend’s Pass” system, which allows you to invite a friend to play the entire game with you for free, meaning only one person actually needs to own the game. It’s a consumer-friendly move that more studios should honestly copy.
This article is sourced from various news outlets. Analysis and presentation represent our editorial perspective on the current state of the gaming industry.
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