A reliable industry insider has revealed the title of the upcoming game from Hazelight Studios, along with intriguing details about the game itself.
Last Thursday, Josef Fares, the writer and director of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Way Out and It Takes Two, announced on his X account that Hazelight Studios is preparing to reveal their next co-op game. He also teased the title of the game would be called “S**** ******N.” Like much of the puzzles Hazelight studio brings with its games, industry insider billbil-kun has seemingly cracked the code on the new upcoming title.
Hazelight Studios’ X account featured a photo with the words “New IP” on a white paper. Under the “Title” header, there was a long dash and a tentative release date of “202*.” Sticky notes with various drawings surrounded the white paper. The teaser image includes sketches showing a screen being split in multiple directions, suggesting that a dynamic split-screen mechanic will be a key feature. This is where insider billbil-kun deduced a fair amount of information.
They suggested that the game be called Split Fiction and that it may introduce a new way of portraying split-screen gameplay, evolving the format. Hazelight’s previous games have already featured split-screen with a vertical bar in the middle of the screen. However, the drawings depicting various split-screen styles suggest three different approaches: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal—styles seen in many couch co-op games in the past.
The torn section of the image suggests the split-screen style could be divided into six portions, which would be wild! This might allow for more than two players, potentially up to six. Whatever Hazelight is working on, fans know the storytelling and gameplay will be top-notch. For now, what this new style of split-screen gameplay could be remains behind closed doors.
A new IP is always exciting to see, especially as many AAA titles have been tied to major existing franchises. Fans are eager to see what Hazelight has in store, as the studio has yet to miss the mark with players. With the studio celebrating its 10th anniversary in November, this may be the opportunity for an official game announcement. However, an announcement trailer or showcase has not been confirmed yet.
Hazelight Studios is riding high on the success of It Takes Two, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, but they’re still keeping their cards close to their chest. The release date tease suggests the game will launch before the 2030s, so at least fans know they won’t have to wait more than five years to play it.
