"Fiction Streamers Win Hazelight Studios Trip After Secret Stage Victory"

Split Fiction streamers have unlocked an extraordinary reward by completing the challenging "Laser Hell" secret stage: a trip to Hazelight Studios. Dive into the details of this thrilling challenge and discover what's next for the studio following the game's impressive success.

Split Fiction Continues With More Surprises

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

Following its successful launch last month, Split Fiction continues to surprise players with hidden challenges like the "Laser Hell" stage. This particularly demanding level was conquered by Chinese streamers sharkOvO and E1uM4y, who showcased their achievement on BiliBili. To reach this stage, players must enter a specific sequence on the elevator in the Isolation level, leading them to a platform filled with lasers.

Upon completing the challenge, the duo unlocked a congratulatory video from Hazelight Founder Josef Fares, who admitted that even many of the studio's developers struggled with the level. Fares then extended an invitation for the streamers to visit Hazelight Studios in Sweden. He later confirmed this on Twitter (X) on March 19, stating, "Congrats to 'sharkOvO' and 'E1uM4y' for finishing the secret challenge 'Laser Hell' in #splitfiction. 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 an interview with The Friends Per Second podcast on March 17, Fares discussed Hazelight's relationship with publisher EA and hinted at the studio's next project. He noted that Split Fiction felt different from his previous works, stating, "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."

While Fares did not disclose details about the new project, he mentioned that it's in the early stages. "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early," he explained. "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 their relationship with EA, Fares clarified, "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 emphasized that despite EA's mixed reputation, the publisher has been supportive of Hazelight, allowing them creative freedom. "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-reported issues. This included fixes for in-game mechanics, minor online play glitches, and improvements in localization and subtitles across all languages.

Additionally, Split Fiction achieved a significant milestone by selling over 2 million copies within just one week of its launch. This is a notable achievement when compared to Hazelight's 2021 Game of the Year Award winner, 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. To stay updated with the latest information about the game, be sure to check out our article below!