From 2018's A Way Out to 2021's It Takes Two, developer Hazelight Studios has earned a reputation as the studio keeping split-screen co-op multiplayer alive. The trend will continue with Split Fiction, an upcoming action adventure that follows two contrasting writers who become trapped in their own stories.
As with Hazelight's previous games, Split Fiction has been specifically designed for split-screen cooperative multiplayer. One player will control Mio, a sci-fi writer, while another will control Zoe, a fantasy writer. Players must work together to help the authors escape their own stories.
Naturally, it means the game must be played with another player either locally or online. Of course, playing co-op games with strangers online isn't everyone's cup of tea, so Hazelight Studios is making it easier to play with your friends.
Announced this week, Split Fighter will utilize Hazelight's signature Friend's Pass. This will allow to people to share the experience with just one copy of the game. What's more, Friend's Pass is adding a crossplay function, meaning anyone can team up regardless of platform, including PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
In Split Fiction, players collaborate as fantasy writer Zoe and sci-fi author Mio, two opposites who must work together to escape a simulation of worlds created from their own written stories. Designed for two, Split Fiction is a true co-op adventure where players can dive into genre-jumping gameplay and build their teamwork skills while journeying through incredible sci-fi and fantasy worlds.
Split Fiction will launch on March 6 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series XS, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and the EA app. It will be available for $49.99.
Those who don't have a friend to play with can utilize the "Looking for Player" channels on the Hazelight Discord server to set up game sessions.
If you haven't played a Hazelight game and aren't quite sure how you'll feel about a game so reliant on multiplayer, you can give Split Fiction a try through the Friend's Pass ree game trial.
Hazelight Studios has always made intriguing multiplayer games, but Split Fiction looks like their wildest adventure yet. Described as a "boundary-pushing co-op adventure," Split Fiction will pull players deep into many worlds, challenging them to work together to master a variety of abilities and overcome diverse obstacles, while jumping between sci-fi and fantasy worlds.
"Split Fiction is a unique action-adventure experience that keeps you on the edge of your couch with unexpected moments. One minute you’re taming adorable dragons and the next you’re fighting as cyber ninjas, escaping terrifying trolls, or dodging hover cars thrown by a robotic parking attendant. It’s weird, it’s wild, and it’s designed to be shared," Hazelight teases.