Split Fiction Streamers Earn A Trip to Hazelight Studios After Completing Secret Stage

The excitement surrounding Split Fiction continues to grow, with players uncovering new challenges and earning unique rewards. Recently, Chinese streamers sharkOvO and E1uM4y conquered the notoriously difficult secret stage known as "Laser Hell," securing themselves a trip to Hazelight Studios. This achievement showcases not only their skill but also the game's ability to engage and surprise its community.

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

Following the successful launch of Split Fiction last month, the game has not stopped surprising players. The "Laser Hell" stage, accessible by entering a specific sequence on an elevator in the Isolation level, is a true test of skill. The streamers documented their journey on BiliBili, navigating through a platform filled with lasers to complete the challenge.

Their success was acknowledged by none other than Hazelight Founder Josef Fares, who congratulated them in a video message. Fares revealed that even most of the developers struggled with this level, making the duo's accomplishment even more impressive. True to his word, Fares invited sharkOvO and E1uM4y to Hazelight Studios in Sweden for an early look at the studio's next game. Fares confirmed this on Twitter (X) on March 19, stating, "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 of our next game. We'll be in touch!"

Hazelight Studios Working On Its Next Game

In a recent interview with The Friends Per Second podcast on March 17, Josef Fares discussed Hazelight's relationship with publisher EA and their plans for the future. Fares expressed that the release of Split Fiction felt different from his previous projects, marking it as the best-received game Hazelight has produced. Despite this success, his focus quickly shifted to the next endeavor, stating, "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."

Although Fares couldn't divulge details about the upcoming project, he emphasized the studio's excitement and noted that they began working on it about a month ago. He also highlighted Hazelight's efficient development timeline, saying, "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."

Addressing Hazelight's 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." He emphasized the autonomy Hazelight enjoys, stating, "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." Fares praised EA for respecting Hazelight's creative process, despite the publisher's mixed reputation with other developers.

First Update and Hitting 2 Million Sales in 1 Week

Split Fiction received its first update on March 17, addressing several community-identified issues. These fixes included improvements to in-game mechanics, resolving minor glitches during online play, and enhancing 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 impressive sales figure outpaces Hazelight's previous hit, It Takes Two, which sold 1 million copies a few weeks after its release in 2021 and eventually reached 20 million by October 2024.

Split Fiction is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For the latest updates and information about the game, be sure to check out our related article below!