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 the case of his technique for making video games like Break up Fiction.
Fares is all in on the style his firm has pioneered in a novel approach: split-screen cooperative motion journey video games that two folks can play on the identical display. His latest title, Break 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 Recreation of the Yr award at The Recreation Awards in 2021. Whereas that recreation targeted 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 lots 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 develop into trapped in their very own tales after being hooked as much as a machine designed by an evil ebook “simulation” writer who desires to steal their inventive concepts. To flee with their minds intact, they’ve to beat their variations to crash the system that holds them. The onerous 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 Recreation Awards. Hazelight is dedicated to pushing the inventive boundaries of what’s doable in video games. In 2018, Hazelight launched A Means 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.
Query: One of many issues I consider after I consider you particularly is that–these days now we have a couple of administrators that may transmit a sure authority by their video games. We have now Sam Lake. We have now 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 suppose you may transmit a lot of your self by your video games?
Josef Fares: I don’t know. I assume it’s my persona. I’ve at all times been like this. I can’t let you know why I turned like this. It could be a greater query for you. I assume one factor is that I simply say what I would like. No one is controlling what I say and after I say it. It comes from a spot the place I say what I would like. Which needs to be what everybody does. I feel that’s it.
GamesBeat: What was the onerous a part of doing the sport over 4 years?
Fares: Simply it was the variation of the gameplay mechanics. The toughest factor a few Hazelight recreation is to get all these recreation mechanics to a state of polish. It’s simple to prototype completely different mechanics, however to take them to a stage the place it feels good, that’s the powerful half. Once you play a Hazelight recreation, once you play the fight you anticipate it to play like a preventing 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 onerous to get them to that stage.
We’ve develop into fairly good as a staff at understanding if we’ll have the ability to polish it that nicely, although. We have now good pipelines. We have now good instruments within the engine to assist us make all the things really feel very nice. In any other case we don’t launch it. It needs to be a refined expertise. You’ll see once you play it. Every little thing feels good and crisp.
Query: With It Takes Two you experimented loads. Does Break 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 wished to place within the recreation?
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 Break up Fiction. Perhaps 20-30%, if I used to be to select a quantity. Stuff that bought minimize early. “This doesn’t work. It doesn’t match right 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 good friend’s home enjoying it with him on a traditional TV. Once you play the sport day by day–I simply noticed it from a unique perspective. We performed for an hour or two, and he mentioned, “How far is that this?” “It’s simply the primary stage.” “Are you loopy? I really feel like I’ve performed a lot stuff.” Simply wait and see. There’s going to be some loopy stuff taking place.
GamesBeat: How do you alter 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. An important factor–as a result of now we have a story expertise, we don’t need anybody to get caught an excessive amount of. We would like the expertise to be fluid. The pacing feels good. You by no means get too caught. This recreation could be a bit extra skill-based than It Takes Two. Roughly the identical. You may nonetheless play it with a child.
GamesBeat: It seems to be 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, if you happen to proceed to play the sport, belief me, you may’t progress ahead with out them. You want your good friend. There may need been a bit you performed that was like that, however you may’t proceed–the entire design is that it is advisable talk. You have to do stuff collectively. We don’t need you to be too depending on the co-op participant, the place you do all the things collectively. We nonetheless need it to really feel such as you’re enjoying your personal recreation a bit. However it’s a must to talk on a regular basis.
Query: Coming from a recreation that gained Recreation of the Yr, do you are feeling strain with this venture?
Fares: No, I really feel tremendous assured. There’s little doubt that it is a nice recreation. Even when the entire world mentioned this sucks, I’d say, “No, you’re flawed.” That’s how assured I’m. It’s an excellent recreation. Play it to the tip and also you’ll expertise stuff 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 buddies, these two totally completely different folks, completely different personalities, which have an attractive story collectively.
GamesBeat: It appears like you can have created an AI second participant so folks may play the sport in a single-player mode. You selected to not. Was there a purpose to not do this?
Fares: To begin with, it’s far more advanced to create an AI that works with you. It will 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 will take away a few of that specialness.
Query: Because the primary 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 attempting 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?
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. Certainly one 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 venture?
Fares: That we pulled it off. Once you play it from the start to the tip, it’s going to be like–how is that even doable? I even query it now after I take a look at it. And it seems to be 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 have the ability to do that?” However the place there’s a will there’s a approach. We did it. I’m tremendous pleased with that.
Query: What message do you suppose gamers will get after they end the sport?
Fares: Hopefully–I would like them to really feel like there’s a risk that we are able to develop into buddies with everybody. Or no less than perceive one another. It’s actually a narrative about friendship. Even two totally completely different folks can discover one another and discover some connection. That might be good, to attach folks.
GamesBeat: Is there one thing about characters who combat with one another on a regular basis that’s enticing to you?
Fares: Not notably? However how enjoyable would the drama be if you happen to had two characters who beloved one another from the start? You want a battle for it to be fascinating. It’s good for the story to have battle between them. Perhaps we are able to do one thing the place they’re finest buddies at first after which they hate one another on the finish. We may do this route for you in order for you.
Query: When the trailer dropped on the Recreation 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 taking a look at TV and flicks to search out some references we appreciated, and we couldn’t actually discover something. You’ve parallel universes and stuff like that, however nobody has finished that blend of sci-fi and fantasy. From that perspective, the idea feels type of contemporary.
GamesBeat: Is there a approach 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: Once I was enjoying It Takes Two with my girlfriend, it almost ended our relationship. You most likely get that loads. She’s not used to enjoying video video games. Did you hear that loads from different folks? Do you suppose Break up Fiction will get related reactions?
Fares: I don’t suppose it’s the identical, however it’s clearly going to check your expertise. Humorous sufficient, with It Takes Two, I keep in mind after we did some testing. There have been {couples}. You could possibly sense it with some folks. “Oh, these two must work on their communication.” It’s a great way to check your relationship. You have to talk on a regular basis. Even when there are moments the place you play by your self for a short while, more often than not it is advisable 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 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 perhaps we’ll give it a shot with Break up Fiction.
Fares: I performed it a bit with my spouse, however she’s not a gamer as nicely. Typically you simply have to simply accept it. Not everybody loves video video games. I don’t perceive that. How are you going to reside 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 based mostly on after I was there on the awards. Everybody was speaking about how, “That is just like the Oscars! That is just like the Oscars!” They had been so pumped. I mentioned, “Fuck the Oscars, that is a lot cooler.” I don’t really know what’s occurring with the Oscars now. We’ll see after I win an Oscar sometime. Who is aware of what I’ll do on stage?
