Hazelight's Josef Fares Says EA Is Criticized More Than It Deserves
"For us, it's a super good collaboration."
Hazelight Studios
Josef Fares, the founder of Hazelight Studios, has spoken in defense of Electronic Arts, suggesting the publisher faces more backlash than it deserves.
Hazelight has worked closely with EA for many years, with the company being the publisher for all of the studio's releases: A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction. In a recent interview, Fares was asked about this partnership and described it positively, stating, "There are a lot of great people at EA. They know how we work. They respect it and they leave us be."
He also addressed EA’s public reputation, adding, "Let's be honest, there's not a publisher in the world that hasn't fucked up now and then. Sometimes I feel that EA is getting more shit than they deserve. I mean, come on, Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, everybody's done something that's not good. But for some reason, EA has become this bad guy."
Hazelight Studios
The developer went on to further elaborate on Hazelight's experience working with the publisher, describing the collaboration as "super good" and "great," while acknowledging that EA, like any other publisher, has made mistakes. "For us, it's a super good collaboration," he said, adding, "But we have a great relationship. I'm not saying that they haven't done any mistakes like every other publisher."
He also spoke about the people he works with at EA, highlighting their passion for games rather than an exclusively corporate approach: "All the people I am surrounded with at EA are gamers. They love games. It's not like I'm sitting with corporate people with suits."
Hazelight's latest project, Split Fiction, was released in March 2025 and had a successful launch, selling two million copies in its first week. In an earlier interview, Josef Fares also spoke positively about EA, calling the publisher a "supporter" and a "good partner."
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