Post
The Swedish studio building a career out of one premise: every game must be played co-op, no exceptions.
Founded in 2014 by filmmaker-turned-game-director Josef Fares (after the EA-backed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons), Hazelight has shipped three games — A Way Out (2018), It Takes Two (2021), and Split Fiction (2025) — all built around mandatory split-screen or online co-op. It Takes Two won Game of the Year at the 2021 Game Awards. Split Fiction sold over 1M copies in two days. The studio is ~80 people in Stockholm.
Example
Hazelight's 'Friend Pass' system lets one buyer invite a friend to play the entire game without owning a copy — a mechanic the studio has shipped for all three games and that has become a defining feature of how their audience plays.
Why it matters
Hazelight has shown that co-op-only design — long considered commercially marginal — can win Game of the Year and sell millions. Their consistent voice and tight scope make them the modern model for mid-size studios with a creative thesis.
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