"Streamers Win Hazelight Studios Trip After Secret Stage Completion"

Split Fiction Streamers Discover and Conquer the Laser Hell Secret Stage, Earning a Trip to Hazelight Studios

Dive into the thrilling world of Split Fiction as streamers unlock the challenging "Laser Hell" stage, securing an exclusive visit to Hazelight Studios. Learn more about this exciting challenge and 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

Split Fiction, which enjoyed a stellar launch last month, continues to captivate players with hidden gems like the "Laser Hell" stage. This notoriously tough challenge was recently conquered by Chinese streamers sharkOvO and E1uM4y, who shared their triumph on BiliBili. To access this secret stage, players must input a specific sequence on the elevator switches in the Isolation level, leading them to a laser-filled platform.

Their success was met with a personal congratulatory video from Hazelight's founder, Josef Fares, who revealed that even most of the studio's developers struggled with the level. Fares extended an invitation to the duo to visit Hazelight Studios in Sweden, a promise he reaffirmed on Twitter (X) on March 19, saying, "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 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 expressed that Split Fiction felt uniquely special among his 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 remained tight-lipped about the specifics of their new project, he mentioned, "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."

Regarding 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. 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 EA's supportive role, stating that despite any negative perceptions of the publisher, EA respects Hazelight's creative autonomy, allowing them to thrive as one of EA's most successful studios.

First Update and Hitting 2 Million Sales in 1 Week

On March 17, Split Fiction received its first update, addressing community feedback with fixes for in-game mechanics, online play glitches, localization, and subtitles across all languages. Additionally, the game achieved a remarkable milestone by selling over 2 million copies within just one week of its release. This impressive figure outpaces Hazelight's previous hit, 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 and developments by checking out our article below!