From films to games, then back to films?
Aspiring, then up-and-coming, then acclaimed — director Josef Fares has taken the spotlight (yes, pun intended) once again. After the global success of his previous game releases, from A Way Out to the 2021 GOTY winner It Takes Two, Fares’ filmmaking flair has clearly followed him into the gaming realm. Now, he’s caught between pursuing the movie route and sticking with games.
It Always Takes Two
Hazelight Studios has conquered the gaming market through its niche focus on cooperative and split-screen storytelling. With countless awards and accolades under its belt, Fares’s team has continuously outdone themselves, with each new release becoming an even greater spectacle. From a prison break to a tale of complicated marital love, and now a step beyond the boundaries of fiction itself, Fares describes each of his games as symbolic:
“There is always a word connected to every game. Split Fiction was friendship, It Takes Two was collaboration, and A Way Out was trust.”
— Josef Fares, Variety
And while Hazelight continues to shine bright, Fares teases the future of the franchise with yet another mysterious — and as yet unspecified — word. But for now, fans will have to wait.
Splitting Between Platforms
“You know what I say? I believe it when I see it, because nothing has happened yet.”
— Josef Fares, Variety
With video game adaptations becoming more and more popular, it raises the question: when will it stop — or better yet, what’s coming next? Split Fiction broke world records for co-op play in just its first week. Thanks to its growing success, Hazelight’s core team has started working on a movie version of the game — though it’s sparked a full-on bidding war.
But is this the first time Hazelight and EA Studios have stepped into film? Not quite.
Back in April 2022, Amazon began working on a film adaptation of It Takes Two, the GOTY winner. Still, even with all the movie buzz and spin-off talk, Fares is staying grounded and not rushing into anything just yet.
Split Fiction delivers quite the spectacle — blending immersive co-op gameplay with powerful narrative storytelling. Fares’s ability to craft a world where stories and realities collide in such a visually creative way makes us wonder: Can Hollywood truly capture that magic on screen?
Will the movie adaptation rise to the heights of other fan-favorite hits like The Last of Us or the Fallout series? Or will it stumble like Halo and Borderlands?
Check out this EPIC article diving into the magical worlds behind both Sci-Fi and Fantasy!
Can’t quite decide what genre to choose either? Well, why not browse this bookshelf until you find the one that’s just right for you!
