Hazelight Studios' released games like It Takes Two and A Way Out, didn’t feature microtransactions, and it seems none will—as long as founderJose Faresis around.
The studio’s upcoming game, Split Fiction, will also not feature microtransactions, which is refreshing to see for a game releasing in 2025.
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Hazelight’s Founder Has No Plans Of Selling The Studio
In a rapid-fire Q&A withMinnMax, Jose Fares was asked about during the acquisition boom, which company wanted to buy Hazelight the most? While Fares remain tight-lipped on the company, he confirmed “interest out there” and mentioned his studio is not for sale.
Fares said, “Hazelight is not for sale. I mean, we will always do what we do, and we love what to do period. And we will never be on the stock market as well – get that in, period. And we will never have microtransactions, bullshit, no shit, just make games period.”
That’s an open-and-shut case for discussing Hazelight adding microtransactions to their games (and even for studio acquisitions).
The studio’s upcoming game, Split Fiction, not only doesn’t feature any microtransaction of any kind, but it even has aconsumer-friendly Friend’s Pass featurewhere one player who owns the game can share it with a friend from start to finish.
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What’s a bit surprising from Hazelight’s stance on microtransactions is the studio’s publisher on all their released games so far is Electronic Arts, a company known for pushing microtransaction a lot with its sports games' Ultimate Packs in EA Sports FC, Madden and more.
Split Fiction is Hazelight Studios' latest project, and it will be published by EA once more. It will be released on March 7 on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Once again, it is a pure co-op affair, much like the studio’s past games.
If you’re unfamiliar with the game, “Split Fiction is a unique action-adventure experience that keeps you on the edge of your couch with unexpected moments. One minute you’re taming adorable dragons and the next you’re fighting as cyber ninjas, escaping terrifying trolls, or dodging hover cars thrown by a robotic parking attendant. It’s weird, it’s wild, and it’s designed to be shared.”
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Split Fiction
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