Summary
Josef Fares, founder of Hazelight Studios, has teased his studio’s next game in a cryptic post on social media. A
subsequent press release has revealed that this new title is another collaboration with EA Originals and will be a cooperative game in the vein of Hazelight’s other titles.
Hazelight Studios' Next Title
In his post, Fares said “Getting a lot of questions about the next game. Here is a tease. It is a brand new IP called S*** ******N [a three-letter word followed by a seven-letter word]. Can’t wait to show it soon.”
Hazelight Studios followed this up with another cryptic teaser - an image of a folder sitting on a desk with several clues attached. A sticky note in the bottom-right corner is another word puzzle, “Final_final_3” and “_Mdown_13.” The top-right has a stairs doodle that reads “Mio Zoe” which could be a hint towards the names of our protagonists.
Another sticky note in the top left is an acrostic poem that spells out ‘Cooler’ with the words “Co-Op, Ouch(?), Legen-, Rad…” There are also doodles of squares and cuboids of varying heights. No doubt more experienced code crackers will get to the bottom of this in due time. The title is set to release in 202X, which shouldn’t be too surprising because developers don’t often announce games 7+ years in advance.
Fares and Hazelight Studios have become famous for their cooperative-focused games, becoming among the best in the genre. The studio’s last titleIt Takes Twowas a massive success, winning game of the year at the 2021 Game Awards, and selling over 20 million copies. EA’s independent development arm, EA Originals, published It Takes Two, and has reunited with Hazelight to publish this upcoming title.
Naturally, everyone is attempting to solve Fares' initial word puzzle in the replies to his post. Sh*t Pigeon, Silk Soooong and Soft Cushion are among my favourites.
