Hazelight Studio created two critically acclaimed games: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out. Both games focused on co-operative gameplay and unique stories based on bonds and friendship. I just finished A Way Out last week. It’s amazing and I’m looking forward to their next game. Josef Fares, the director, stated he will continue to work with Electronic Arts as their publisher for their next game.
Fares reached internet fame with his famous speech at the 2017 Video Game Awards show where he said: “Fuck the Oscars!” Despite EA’s reputation for ruining their studios’ games such as Mass Effect and Dead Space, Fares has only stated great experiences when working with them.
“It’s no problem. It’s super-good support. I don’t care what publisher I work with it’s going to be the same. This is how I work: I respect the economical aspect but nobody fucks with the vision – it’s very, very important. And they know it at EA now, and they’re super-supportive – super-supportive”
Don’t expect the new game soon. Fares has stated the game isn’t expected to release for two to three more year but they have begun their work. Although they have the concept down, it will be a different game than their previous works. Fares also stated that the new game will be a bigger production and longer experience than A Way Out. “It’s not triple-A big but it’s bigger than A Way Out.” Players complained that A Way Out was too short but stats showed only 50% of the player based finished the game. He clarified that the game is not a triple-A title due to the player perception that the game was similar to Uncharted.
Business
A Way Out has sold more than one million digital units which is impressive from a small studio. Although the length of the game is short, it feels like a movie experience with a perfect length. If you’re curious how Fares and Electronic Arts have data on players playthroughs, the game has an agreement people can digitally sign to give their player data.
Sources:
The Gaming News Corner 