Josef Fares, founding father of Hazelight, has had a foot in each the worlds of movie and video video games, however he’s not break up in relation to his technique for making video games like Cut up Fiction.
Fares is all in on the style his firm has pioneered in a novel means: split-screen cooperative motion journey video games that two individuals can play on the identical display. His latest title, Cut up Fiction, is popping out on the consoles and PC on March 6, 2025, for $50.
Digital Arts is publishing the title as an EA Originals recreation. EA additionally printed the earlier Hazelight recreation, It Takes Two, which took the Sport of the Yr award at The Sport Awards in 2021. Whereas that recreation centered on two gamers as a bickering couple, this one focuses on Mio and Zoe, two budding authors who conflict over science fiction and fantasy books.
I’ve performed the sport and it’s a intelligent twist on the style with plenty of new mechanics that hold gamers on their toes, like switching between sci-fi and fantasy worlds in addition to sci-fi and fantasy characters and weapons.
The contrasting writers change into trapped in their very own tales after being hooked as much as a machine designed by an evil ebook “simulation” writer who needs to steal their artistic concepts. To flee with their minds intact, they’ve to beat their variations to crash the system that holds them. The arduous half is studying to work collectively, Fares mentioned in an interview I did.
Fares is a former movie director and creator of the critically acclaimed recreation Brothers: A Story of Two Sons. He famously mentioned “f*ck the Oscars” whereas on stage at The Sport Awards. Hazelight is dedicated to pushing the artistic boundaries of what’s attainable in video games. In 2018, Hazelight launched A Manner Out, the primary ever co-op solely third individual action-adventure, as a part of the EA Originals program.
I requested questions alternating with a Brazilian recreation publication and I identified under which of them are mine. Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Josef Fares is founding father of Hazelight.
Query: One of many issues I consider after I consider you particularly is that–these days now we have a number of administrators that may transmit a sure authority by way of their video games. Now we have Sam Lake. Now we have Kojima. We all know what to anticipate from these guys. You’re at that stage as nicely. Would you agree with that? Why do you assume you’ll be able to transmit a lot of your self by way of your video games?
Josef Fares: I don’t know. I assume it’s my character. I’ve at all times been like this. I can’t inform you why I turned like this. It is likely to be a greater query for you. I assume one factor is that I simply say what I would like. No person is controlling what I say and after I say it. It comes from a spot the place I say what I would like. Which must be what everybody does. I feel that’s it.
GamesBeat: What was the arduous a part of doing the sport over 4 years?
Fares: Simply it was the variation of the gameplay mechanics. The toughest factor a couple of Hazelight recreation is to get all these recreation mechanics to a state of polish. It’s simple to prototype totally different mechanics, however to take them to a stage the place it feels good, that’s the robust half. Whenever you play a Hazelight recreation, if you play the fight you anticipate it to play like a combating recreation. Or if there’s racing in it you anticipate it to play like a racing recreation. Individuals anticipate it to play like that. As a result of we alter up the mechanics a lot, it’s arduous to get them to that stage.
We’ve change into fairly good as a crew at figuring out if we’ll be capable to polish it that nicely, although. Now we have good pipelines. Now we have good instruments within the engine to assist us make every thing really feel very nice. In any other case we don’t launch it. It needs to be a cultured expertise. You’ll see if you play it. Every thing feels good and crisp.
Query: With It Takes Two you experimented loads. Does Cut up Fiction draw on any concepts that you just had within the course of of constructing that recreation? What was the thought course of across the mechanics you needed to place within the recreation?
Combating within the tundra of Cut up Fiction
Fares: One factor about–does it really feel good to play? Do these mechanics complement one another nicely? Can we take it to the extent of polish we would like? I wouldn’t say there was something specifically that we minimize from It Takes Two that ended up in right here. However we positively minimize stuff in Cut up Fiction. Perhaps 20-30%, if I used to be to choose a quantity. Stuff that obtained minimize early. “This doesn’t work. It doesn’t fit here.” However with that mentioned, there’s an enormous quantity of stuff in there. I’m shocked enjoying it myself.
I used to be at a pal’s home enjoying it with him on a traditional TV. Whenever you play the sport daily–I simply noticed it from a special perspective. We performed for an hour or two, and he mentioned, “How far is this?” “It’s just the first level.” “Are you crazy? I feel like I’ve played so much stuff.” Simply wait and see. There’s going to be some loopy stuff taking place.
GamesBeat: How do you modify the sport for various ability ranges? What occurs if there’s a giant distinction in ability between the gamers?
Fares: We simply do the sport we need to do. A very powerful factor–as a result of now we have a story expertise, we don’t need anybody to get caught an excessive amount of. We wish the expertise to be fluid. The pacing feels good. You by no means get too caught. This recreation is likely to be a bit extra skill-based than It Takes Two. Roughly the identical. You may nonetheless play it with a child.
GamesBeat: It appears to be like such as you don’t have to attend an excessive amount of for the opposite participant to do one thing. You may simply hold going till you full your factor.
Fares: No, should you proceed to play the sport, belief me, you’ll be able to’t progress ahead with out them. You want your pal. There might need been a bit you performed that was like that, however you’ll be able to’t proceed–the entire design is that you’ll want to talk. It’s worthwhile to do stuff collectively. We don’t need you to be too depending on the co-op participant, the place you do every thing collectively. We nonetheless need it to really feel such as you’re enjoying your personal recreation a bit. However you must talk on a regular basis.
Cut up Fiction’s Skyline scene.
Query: Coming from a recreation that received Sport of the Yr, do you’re feeling stress with this undertaking?
Fares: No, I really feel tremendous assured. There’s little doubt that this can be a nice recreation. Even when the entire world mentioned this sucks, I’d say, “No, you’re wrong.” That’s how assured I’m. It’s a fantastic recreation. Play it to the tip and also you’ll expertise belongings you’ve by no means seen in a recreation earlier than. You’re going to expertise some actually cool stuff. You’ll additionally expertise a heartwarming story about associates, these two solely totally different individuals, totally different personalities, which have a fantastic story collectively.
GamesBeat: It seems like you may have created an AI second participant so individuals may play the sport in a single-player mode. You selected to not. Was there a motive to not try this?
Fares: Initially, it’s far more complicated to create an AI that works with you. It might take an excessive amount of focus away from the remainder of the sport. Plus, we really feel that experiencing it collectively–that’s the entire thing. Having your distinctive characters and distinctive mechanics, speaking to one another. That collaboration is what makes our video games particular. It might take away a few of that specialness.
Query: Because the foremost characters are named after your daughters, are they sufficiently old to know what’s taking place within the recreation? Has your expertise with parenthood influenced the sport?
Fares: On this recreation, not a lot besides the names. It’s one thing for them to recollect once they’re older. However clearly they see the sport on a regular basis. They perceive once they see the dragons and all of the cool stuff, “That’s me!” The older they get, hopefully they’ll be players quickly. I’m making an attempt to make my daughters into players already.
Query: Do now we have to kill a fluffy animal this time, or are you going to spare us that?
Flying kites in Cut up Fiction.
Fares: You’re not going to must kill a fluffy animal, however you’re going to expertise some enjoyable moments. What I name the Hazelight moments. One in every of them is within the construct right here. There’s going to be some enjoyable stuff right here so that you can expertise.
GamesBeat: What had been you essentially the most pleased with about this undertaking?
Fares: That we pulled it off. Whenever you play it from the start to the tip, it’s going to be like–how is that even attainable? I even query it now after I have a look at it. And it appears to be like so good and crisp. It performs so nicely. That’s the true problem in making a recreation. Getting it to a state the place it feels very nice–a 12 months in the past I used to be saying, “Fuck, how are we going to be able to do this?” However the place there’s a will there’s a means. We did it. I’m tremendous pleased with that.
Query: What message do you assume gamers will get after they end the sport?
Fares: Hopefully–I would like them to really feel like there’s a chance that we will change into associates with everybody. Or a minimum of perceive one another. It’s actually a narrative about friendship. Even two solely totally different individuals can discover one another and discover some connection. That will be good, to attach individuals.
GamesBeat: Is there one thing about characters who battle with one another on a regular basis that’s engaging to you?
Fares: Not notably? However how enjoyable would the drama be should you had two characters who liked one another from the start? You want a battle for it to be attention-grabbing. It’s good for the story to have battle between them. Perhaps we will do one thing the place they’re finest associates to start with after which they hate one another on the finish. We may try this route for you if you need.
Query: When the trailer dropped on the Sport Awards the very first thing that I assumed was that it was very Spy Children 3. Is that one thing you had in thoughts?
Fares: By no means considered it. I’m an early Robert Rodriguez fan. Desperado and issues like that. However no, I by no means considered it like that. It’s humorous, although. The very first thing that got here up with this recreation was combining science fiction and fantasy. We began TV and flicks to search out some references we preferred, and we couldn’t actually discover something. You’ve got parallel universes and stuff like that, however nobody has finished that blend of sci-fi and fantasy. From that perspective, the idea feels sort of contemporary.
Cut up Fictions within the tundra and swamp.
GamesBeat: Is there a means for one human participant to bother the opposite human participant?
Fares: All the time. You may mess with one another. In that stage, the skyline–he simply did it. There are methods to mess with one another. That’s a part of a Hazelight recreation.
Query: After I was enjoying It Takes Two with my girlfriend, it practically ended our relationship. You in all probability get that loads. She’s not used to enjoying video video games. Did you hear that loads from different individuals? Do you assume Cut up Fiction will get comparable reactions?
Fares: I don’t assume it’s the identical, nevertheless it’s clearly going to check your abilities. Humorous sufficient, with It Takes Two, I keep in mind after we did some testing. There have been {couples}. You may sense it with some individuals. “Oh, those two need to work on their communication.” It’s a great way to check your relationship. It’s worthwhile to talk on a regular basis. Even when there are moments the place you play by your self for a short time, more often than not you’ll want to talk. In any other case you’re not going to have the ability to progress. Are you collectively nonetheless?
Query: We dropped the sport partway by way of as a result of she was getting so pissed off. She doesn’t play video video games in any respect, so–it’s a troublesome recreation for somebody who hasn’t ever performed video games of their life. However possibly we’ll give it a shot with Cut up Fiction.
Fares: I performed it a bit with my spouse, however she’s not a gamer as nicely. Generally you simply have to simply accept it. Not everybody loves video video games. I don’t perceive that. How will you dwell in a world the place you don’t love video video games? I simply don’t get it.
GamesBeat: What do you consider the Oscars?
Fares: What do I consider them? I say fuck ‘em. No, it’s humorous. The entire “fuck the Oscars” factor, it’s primarily based on after I was there on the awards. Everybody was speaking about how, “This is like the Oscars! This is like the Oscars!” They had been so pumped. I mentioned, “Fuck the Oscars, this is so much cooler.” I don’t truly know what’s happening with the Oscars now. We’ll see after I win an Oscar sometime. Who is aware of what I’ll do on stage?
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