The upcoming action-adventure game Split Fiction is a game devoid of any microtransactions, as the game doesn’t feature an in-game shop, any cosmetics that are for sale or anything gamers can pay for outside of the price of the base game.
This is in stark contrast to the game’s publisher, Electronic Arts (EA), who’s known to push for live service elements in games and even blames the poor performance of its single-player titleson a lack of any live service element.
Thankfully, Split Fiction developer Hazelight Studios doesn’t have to force any of that on, even if EA is publishing the game.
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Hazelight Studios Has Creative Freedom On How They Want To Design Games
In an interview withJB Hi-FI Australia(yes, the retailer), Hazelight founder Josef Fares talks about the studio’s design process, and how they have absolute freedom to do whatever they want in the game, which explains how it can feature the players riding dragons, taking part in monkey dance battles and more.
Fares explains, “Well, at Hazelight we are creatively totally free. You know, we do kind of whatever we want, and we go crazy. And we try to find new exciting scenarios that fit the story in the gameplay."
Aside from gameplay design, Fares isn’t forced to implement microtransactions in the game, as the company’s previously released games (also published by EA) No Way Out and It Takes Two didn’t feature microtransactions. Fares even goes as far as say thatthey will never offer microtransactionsin their games.
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Not only will Split Fiction not feature any microtransactions, but Hazelight Studios is even implementing the consumer-friendlyFriend’s Pass option. This feature lets players share the full game with a friend regardless of platform, which is similar to It Takes Two and A Way Out. Split Fiction can only be played co-op, and there is no AI (artificial intelligence) option that plays cooperatively with a lone player.
Is this a case of EA not interfering since the game is not being made by a first-party studio? Or perhaps it’s Hazelight’s contract that EA can’t interfere with any development decisions? We can’t say for sure, but it sure is a breath of fresh air for a game releasing in 2025 to not feature any monetization initiative of any kind.
Split Fiction will be released on March 6 for $48.99 on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It will also be the last game in EA and Hazelight’s original three-game deal, and the it’s unknown whether the partnership will continue in the future.
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Split Fiction
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