„It will not happen, I guarantee it.” Electronic Arts won't be able to force Josef Fares into making a game-service
The creator of It Takes Two is not even going to pretend that game services are an option for him. According to Josef Fares, Hazelight studio will never be tempted to develop this type of project.
Josef Fares, founder of Hazelight studio responsible for the hit co-op game It Takes Two, has no doubts - his company will never be tempted to create a game-as-a-service. In an interview with Eurogamer, the developer strongly reacted to suggestions that came up in the conversation about recent statements by Andrew Wilson, the CEO of Electronic Arts. Wilson then admitted, among other things, that Dragon Age: The Veilguard could have been more successful if it had been released as a game-as-a-service. Fares, who has so far worked together with EA in publishing his games, doesn't share this opinion.
Passion and the right vision matter
"It will not happen with a Hazelight game, ever. I guarantee," said Fares, expressing his position on the trend of games-as-a-service (which, let's not kid ourselves, mainly interests high-ranking officials). The dev also added that he "does not believe" in this model and thinks that it is not the right path for game creators. As he said - good games developed by people with passion defend themselves.
I hope more and more [developers] focus on their passion, and what they believe in. At the end of the day, we see clearly - and Hazelight is living proof - that when you trust in your vision and go with it, you can still reach a big audience.
Fares also highlighted that while he understands publishers face financial challenges, it's important to strike a balance between artistic and commercial aspects. "It can't just be towards the finance side." "There has to be balance," he explained. Based on his other statements, he clearly opposes the idea of making games that disastrously yield to market expectations, while also acknowledging that their creation is an art that deserves respect.
Some time ago Fares also declared that he would never create a game with NFT. He then said that he would sooner take a shot in the knee.
Hazelight and AI
Josef Fares, who is currently working on another co-op game - Split Fiction - also addressed the hot topic of the growing role of artificial intelligence in the gaming industry (via VGC). In his opinion, AI has the potential to impact the world "more than the Internet," but he emphasized that he approaches it with caution. As he admitted: "If [AI is] part of the industry we should see how to implement it to see how we get better games." However, Fares doesn't hide that he understands the concerns related to the impact of AI on the labor market. "I can understand the fact that some people could lose their jobs but that goes for every new technology," he added.
He also highlighted that, for now, he doesn't see a role for artificial intelligence at Hazelight. "It's a long time until you can use it [AI] in an actual development, at least not at our place [...]" - he said.
Split Fiction is bit harder than It Takes Two
Josef Fares also revealed that Split Fiction will be more demanding than his previous project, It Takes Two. Even though the new title will likely attract many casual players, the developer emphasized that he doesn't intend to adjust the gameplay solely to their expectations. "Our games should be about progressing forward and following the narrative, so it’s challenging but not too hard," he explained. It's also worth mentioning that, similar to the iconic game It Takes Two, the gameplay relies completely on cooperation, allowing players to invite a friend to join in without needing to buy two copies of the game.
