Despite EA Publishing Split Fiction, Developer Is “Creatively Totally Free” Says Founder

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Summary

  • Split Fiction is free from microtransactions, setting it apart from games published by EA. (100 characters)
  • Hazelight Studios has creative freedom in game design, avoiding the need for microtransactions. (97 characters)
  • The game features a friend’s pass option for sharing, with a release date on March 6. (86 characters)

In simple terms, the forthcoming action-adventure title Split Fiction is a game that does not include microtransactions. This means there’s no in-game store, no cosmetic items for purchase, and nothing else that gamers need to pay for beyond the base game price.

Unlike Electronic Arts (EA), who emphasizes live service features in their games and sometimes attributes the weakness of their single-player games to the absence of these services, this situation stands out as significantly different.

Fortunately, Hazelight Studios, the creators of Split Fiction, aren’t compelled to incorporate such elements just because Electronic Arts (EA) is publishing the game.

Hazelight Studios Has Creative Freedom On How They Want To Design Games

In an interview with JB Hi-Fi Australia (the well-known retailer), Hazelight founder Josef Fares discusses the studio’s creative process, highlighting their unrestricted ability to incorporate various elements within their game, leading to features like players soaring on dragons, engaging in monkey dance competitions, and much more.

At Hazelight, creativity knows no bounds; we have the freedom to explore ideas and take them as far as our imagination allows, often pushing boundaries and creating thrilling, story-driven gameplay scenarios.

Fares is not required to include microtransactions in the game since neither of their previous titles, No Way Out or It Takes Two (both published by EA), featured such transactions. In fact, Fares has publicly stated that they have no intention of offering microtransactions in any of their games.

As a gamer, I’m thrilled about Split Fiction because it’s shaping up to be an incredible experience with absolutely no microtransactions! Plus, Hazelight Studios has gone the extra mile by introducing the Friend’s Pass. This amazing feature allows me to share the entire game with a buddy, regardless of what platform they’re using – just like It Takes Two and A Way Out. And since Split Fiction is all about cooperative play, there’s no AI option to fill in for a missing player; it’s designed specifically for two-player co-op sessions!

It seems that Electronic Arts (EA) might not be meddling with the development process since the game isn’t produced by one of their first-party studios, or it could be due to a specific contract agreement between EA and Hazelight Studios. What makes this 2025 release particularly intriguing is that it appears to lack any type of monetization initiative, which is quite unusual for a game from such a well-known publisher.

The highly-anticipated title, Split Fiction, is set to drop on March 6th for a price of $48.99 across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms. Marking the culmination of their initial three-game agreement, this will be the final game from Electronic Arts (EA) and Hazelight Studios. The future of their partnership remains uncertain.

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2025-03-03 23:38