Streamers Win Hazelight Studios Trip for Completing Secret Stage

Split Fiction streamers have unlocked an exciting adventure by conquering the challenging "Laser Hell" secret stage, earning themselves a trip to Hazelight Studios. Dive into the details of Split Fiction's Laser Hell challenge and discover what's next for the studio following the game's triumphant launch.

Split Fiction Continues With More Surprises

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

Following its successful debut last month, Split Fiction keeps the surprises coming as players uncover the secret "Laser Hell" stage. This notoriously tough challenge was recently conquered by Chinese streamers sharkOvO and E1uM4y, who shared their victory on BiliBili. To access this stage, players must input a specific sequence of switch presses on the elevator in the Isolation level, leading them to a laser-filled platform stage.

Their triumph unlocked a special video message from Hazelight's founder, Josef Fares, who praised their achievement and revealed that even most of the development team struggled with the level. Fares then extended an invitation for the duo to visit Hazelight Studios in Sweden. Shortly after their video went live, Fares tweeted his congratulations on March 19, saying, "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 at our next game. We'll be in touch!"

Hazelight Studios Working On Its Next Game

In a recent interview on The Friends Per Second podcast on March 17, Josef Fares discussed Hazelight’s ongoing relationship with publisher EA and hinted at the studio's next project. Fares described the unique feeling after releasing Split Fiction, 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.’" He added, "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."

Despite his excitement, Fares remained tight-lipped about the new project, noting, "There is a reason why I can’t talk about the next game; it’s because it’s quite early. 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."

Fares also shed light on Hazelight’s partnership with EA, emphasizing the publisher's supportive role. "Here’s the thing, people don’t understand this: EA is a supporter. We don’t pitch games to them," he explained. "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 further praised EA's respect for Hazelight's creative freedom, stating, "Maybe they’re messing 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 rolled out its first update, addressing several community-reported issues. These fixes covered in-game mechanics, minor online play glitches, localization, and subtitles across all languages.

Moreover, Split Fiction achieved a remarkable milestone by selling over 2 million copies in just one week. This impressive performance stands in contrast to Hazelight’s 2021 Game of the Year Award winner, It Takes Two, which sold 1 million copies a few weeks post-launch and reached 20 million by October 2024.

Split Fiction is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest news about the game by checking out our article below!