“Split Fiction Achieves Remarkable 1 Million Copies Sold in Just 48 Hours”

Image by Hazelight Studios/EA.

Hazelight Studios has announced that its latest inventive co-op journey, Split Fiction, has sold 1 million copies within 48 hours of its release.

The cooperative action-adventure title was unveiled on March 6 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It became the fastest-selling game to date from the studio: 2021’s It Takes Two and 2018’s A Way Out each took two weeks post-release to reach that same milestone.

“The support you all show for our game is incredible!” stated Hazelight. “Everyone at Hazelight is beyond thrilled – and we’re excited to see your fantastic reactions!”

Hazelight’s games have received strong reviews and performed well commercially. In a recent Washington Post interview, creative director Josef Fares revealed that It Takes Two has sold 23 million copies, and A Way Out has sold 11 million copies to date.

The studio is currently the top-performing (and repeat) developer of EA’s Originals brand, which has also launched Surgent Studios’ Tales of Kenzera: Zau and Omega Force’s Wild Hearts.

For players, Split Fiction had a strong debut on Steam. By Saturday, March 8, it recorded 254,756 concurrent players on Valve’s platform. That peak has now increased to 259,003 players at the time of writing. The game’s popularity may be attributed to its Friends Pass system, which allows an owner to share the game with a friend who does not own it, enabling them to play together from launch to finish.

It is the best-performing Hazelight game on Steam to date, exceeding peaks for It Takes Two (71,039 players) and A Way Out (8,582 players) by a significant margin.

Hazelight and Split Fiction keep couch co-op alive

What contributes to the success of Hazelight’s games? Cooperative gameplay seems to be the answer.

Cooperative play is nothing new, but the studio’s stories and gameplay center around the interactions between its two protagonists, rather than simply having player two as another character to control. The split-screen focus also makes it an excellent game to enjoy with family or a partner, especially when the game revolves around such personal dynamics.

Couch co-op is not a priority for mainstream titles. Hazelight’s ongoing emphasis on this feature makes the studio a unique presence that contributes to the longevity of its games. Even if the servers for It Takes Two ever go down, the game will not be completely obsolete, contrary to other online-centric multiplayer titles.

It also benefits that the studio’s games have been developed with engaging other players in mind. Split Fiction ‘s aforementioned Friends Pass enables cross-play, which greatly enhances accessibility.

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