There’s no getting away from it, Split Fiction is massive news right now. It’s everywhere. Not only that, but it’s seemingly only ever good things being said about the genre-breaking, envelope pushing game, something not so easily done in today’s day and age of the gaming industry. Now, Josef Fares has given an explanation and a piece of advice to others in the industry attempting to replicate his studio Hazelight Studios’ success.
Publishers Need to Trust More
A game like Split Fiction is becoming something of a rarer breed these days, with the industry having pivoted towards live-service, online-only gaming. There’s certainly no other AAA studio making games that force you to play with someone else for the story, and yet Split Fiction, It Takes Two, A Way Out and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons all prove not only is there a way of doing these games incredibly well, but there’s a huge market out there for it, with gamers demanding more. For example, days before the launch of Split Fiction, It Takes Two hit 23 million sales, and then Split Fiction sold one million units in its first 48 hours!
In a time where it feels like every announced game is as likely to be canceled as it is released, and record high layoffs and studio closures in the gaming industry, Josef Fares’ message to others in the industry may be exactly what is needed right now. In an interview with the BBC, he said:
“Publishers need to step up and really trust the developer, but also developers, I think, need to have a clear vision and stick with what they believe in.”
It’s no secret that many studios deviate from their original idea too much, resulting in feature creep and half-baked ideas, the biggest and most recent example being Rocksteady’s live-service failure Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Costing $200 Million and in development for seven years, the game lasted just four in-game seasons before being shuttered, with no more content coming in the future.
Fares did continue on and admit a small caveat to his situation, to that of other Creative Directors and studios:
“I am a – what do you say? – a different breed. I don’t expect everybody to be like me, but that’s me with my extreme confidence. What we do, I love it. We’re sticking to the vision of what we believe in. Stick with the vision, go with it. And I think if you really love what you do, people love it as well.”
Something certainly needs to change in the industry, as the current trajectory isn’t sustainable. Whether publishers and studios take Fares’ advice is anyone’s guess, but what is undeniable is that we need more games of the quality of Split Fiction.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out David Goldfarb teasing Metal Hellsinger 2, or how The Last of Us Part 3 may be far closer than we think.
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Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
