"Streamers Win Hazelight Studios Trip After Secret Stage Completion"

Discover how Split Fiction streamers tackled the challenging Laser Hell secret stage and earned an exclusive trip to Hazelight Studios. Dive deeper into the game's ongoing surprises and get the latest on Hazelight's next project.

Split Fiction Continues With More Surprises

First Players to Finish "Laser Hell" Challenge Earn a Trip to Hazelight Studios

Split Fiction, which enjoyed a successful launch last month, continues to captivate players with hidden gems like the "Laser Hell" secret stage. This notoriously tough challenge was conquered by Chinese streamers sharkOvO and E1uM4y, who shared their triumph on BiliBili. To unlock this stage, players must input a specific sequence of switch presses on the elevator in the Isolation level, leading to a laser-filled platform challenge.

Their victory was celebrated with a special video message from Hazelight Founder Josef Fares, who acknowledged that even many of the game's developers struggled with the stage. Fares extended an invitation to the duo to visit Hazelight Studios in Sweden, a promise he reiterated on Twitter (X) on March 19, saying, "Congrats to 'sharkOvO' and 'E1uM4y' for finishing the secret challenge 'Laser Hell' in #splitficton. VERY impressive! I will keep my promise and invite you both to Sweden for an early look at our next game. We'll be in touch!"

Hazelight Studios Working On Its Next Game

In a recent interview on The Friends Per Second podcast on March 17, Josef Fares discussed Hazelight's ongoing relationship with publisher EA and hinted at the studio's next project. Fares noted that the reception to Split Fiction has been exceptionally positive, yet his focus is already shifting to new ventures. "For me, personally, every time a game is out, I’m kind of done with it. I’m kind of like, ‘OK, here’s the next thing.’ This has been a bit extra special. I would say that it’s been the best-received game we have done, but to be honest, everybody is super happy, but I’m so fully-focused and excited on the next thing that we already have started," he explained.

While Fares is excited about the new project, he kept details under wraps, stating, "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early. You do know, at Hazelight, we don’t work on [a] game more than three or four years. Three or four years is not so far away. Then we’re going to talk more about it. It’s way too early, but just know this: we are very, very, very, very excited here. Very excited, and we started working on this a month ago-ish."

Regarding Hazelight's relationship with EA, Fares emphasized the autonomy the studio enjoys, saying, "Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them. We say, ‘We’re going to do this.’ That’s it. They have zero, and I mean zero, thing to say about what we’re doing next." He praised EA's hands-off approach, noting that while other developers might have issues, Hazelight's relationship with EA is strong and respectful. "Maybe they’re f***ing up with other developers. With us, no. They respect us. They respect what we do. I’m very clear with them that they cannot interfere with what we do. Now, we have become one of their most successful studios."

First Update and Hitting 2 Million Sales in 1 Week

On March 17, Split Fiction received its first update, addressing several community-identified issues, including in-game mechanics, online play glitches, and localization and subtitle enhancements.

Additionally, the game achieved a significant milestone by selling over 2 million copies in just one week. This rapid success contrasts with Hazelight's previous hit, It Takes Two, which sold 1 million copies a few weeks after its launch and reached 20 million by October 2024.

Split Fiction is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest news on the game by following our coverage!