Hazelight
Hazelight Studios is a Stockholm-based independent game developer founded in 2014 by Josef Fares that builds co-op only action-adventure titles such as It Takes Two and Split Fiction, distributed globally via EA Originals across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Hazelight does
Hazelight Studios is a Swedish, Stockholm-based independent video game developer founded in late 2014 by film director Josef Fares, who brought the core development team from the award-winning Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The studio specializes exclusively in cooperative ("co-op only") action-adventure games designed from the ground up for two players, building on an in-house motion capture studio and proprietary split-screen and crossplay multiplayer technology. Its current catalog spans four titles: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (2013), A Way Out (2018), It Takes Two (2021), and Split Fiction (2025), with cumulative sales of 50 million+ copies and Split Fiction alone reaching 7 million copies by April 2026.\n\nThe business model is a one-time license model with games sold through Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, and physical retail at standard AAA pricing (typically $39.99-$59.99). Distribution, marketing, and publishing infrastructure are handled through an EA Originals partnership with Electronic Arts, under which Hazelight retains full creative independence while accessing EA's global publishing reach. The proprietary Friends Pass mechanic, which lets a purchaser invite a second player for free, is a core viral-growth lever embedded into the product. The studio is privately held and founder-controlled, with no disclosed venture capital or external institutional shareholders, and operates with approximately 80-81 employees across 11 nationalities.
Hazelight firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hazelight
- Legal name
- Hazelight Studios
- Website
- https://hazelight.se
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Hazelight Studios is a Stockholm-based independent game developer founded in 2014 by Josef Fares that builds co-op only action-adventure titles such as It Takes Two and Split Fiction, distributed globally via EA Originals across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hazelight industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)
Keywords
Where Hazelight is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hazelight business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Video Game Sales: One-time purchase model for full game purchases across digital storefronts and physical retail. Games released at standard retail pricing ($39.99-$59.99 typical range) with occasional sales and discounts.
- EA Originals Publishing Partnership: Partnership with Electronic Arts under the EA Originals label for publishing support, marketing, and distribution infrastructure while maintaining creative independence.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hazelight product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hazelight is a Swedish indie game development studio that designs, develops, and sells co-op-only video games. Its current portfolio includes Split Fiction, It Takes Two, A Way Out, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, distributed digitally via Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo Switch, and through physical retail, with Electronic Arts as the publishing partner under the EA Originals label.
Product overview
Hazelight Studios is a Swedish video game development studio that creates co-op focused games with a unique approach to weaving story and gameplay together. The company operates a portfolio of four games: Split Fiction (a sci-fi/fantasy co-op adventure launched March 2025), It Takes Two (a 3D action-adventure platformer released March 2021), A Way Out (a split-screen co-op action-adventure from 2018), and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (an adventure game from 2013). All games emphasize cooperative multiplayer experiences, with features like Friends Pass enabling free multiplayer access. The studio is known for its innovation in co-op game design and narrative-driven gameplay integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Split Fiction A sci-fi and fantasy co-op action adventure game where two players control Mio and Zoe, two writers trapped in a simulation whose stories are being stolen by the evil Dr. Rader. Features crossplay across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox with Friends Pass for free multiplayer access.
- It Takes Two A wild Co-Op 3D Action Adventure Platformer where players control May and Cody, a couple going through divorce who are transformed into dolls. Emphasizes merging story and gameplay with varied co-op mechanics and fantastical world-building.
- A Way Out A cinematic split-screen co-op action adventure where two players control Leo and Vincent, prisoners who escape maximum security prison and pursue revenge. The first ever co-op-only third-person action-adventure game.
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons An adventure game where the player simultaneously controls both brothers on a journey to find a cure for their ill father. Features a unique dual-control gameplay mechanic. The core development team behind this title later founded Hazelight Studios.
Quantifiable outcome
- It Takes Two achieved highest Metacritic score for 2021 at launch
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hazelight
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hazelight technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Hazelight partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Electronic Arts (EA Originals)coreEA Originals publishing partnership where Electronic Arts handles distribution, marketing, and publishing infrastructure while Hazelight maintains creative independence. Split Fiction and It Takes Two are published under the EA Originals label.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hazelight competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- EA Originals: EA's indie publishing label and Hazelight's publishing partner. Not a competitor but the closest structural analog for a major-publisher-backed indie studio model; comparable in that it distributes premium indie titles through major digital and retail channels.
Direct peers
- Supergiant Games: Small (~20-person) independent studio known for critically acclaimed narrative-driven titles (Bastion, Hades, Pyre). Comparable in being a private, founder-led premium indie developer with strong critical reputation, award-winning releases, and a similar scale/cap table profile.
- Moon Studios: Independent studio behind Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, published through Xbox. Comparable as a critically acclaimed narrative-platformer indie developer with a similar premium-pricing, partnership-publisher distribution model.
- thatgamecompany: Developer of Journey, Sky: Children of the Light, and Flower. Comparable as a small, emotionally-led indie studio focused on shared/co-op-style experiences with strong critical reception and award wins.
- Hello Games: UK-based independent studio behind No Man's Sky. Comparable as a small private studio that achieved a global hit, attracted substantial unit sales, and relies on a major publisher partnership (No Man's Sky launched with Hello Games; later with Sony partnership).
- Guerrilla Collective / Kojima Productions: Hideo Kojima's independent studio, known for narrative-heavy action games (Death Stranding). Comparable as a small, founder-led premium indie developer with strong critical and award pedigree and brand built around a single creative visionary.
- Playdead: Danish indie studio behind Limbo and Inside, both award-winning narrative puzzle-platformers. Comparable as a small Scandinavian independent developer with strong critical reputation, founder-led, and a similar premium-pricing model.
Broad incumbents
- Naughty Dog: First-party Sony studio known for narrative-driven, cinematic action games (Uncharted, The Last of Us). Comparable as a high-pedigree narrative-game developer, though materially larger and wholly-owned by Sony rather than founder-led.
- Double Fine Productions: Indie developer of narrative adventure games (Psychonauts, Brütal Legend), now owned by Xbox. Comparable as a critically acclaimed narrative indie developer with strong awards track record and a similar premium-pricing, partnership-publisher distribution model.
Regional players
- Starbreeze Studios: Swedish game developer and original studio behind Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, where Josef Fares first made his name. Comparable as a Stockholm-based game studio with a shared creative lineage to Hazelight through Brothers and overlapping talent pools.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hazelight social profiles
Digital presenceHazelight financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hazelight leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hazelight funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hazelight M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hazelight
What does Hazelight do?
Hazelight is a Swedish indie game development studio that designs, develops, and sells co-op-only video games. Its current portfolio includes Split Fiction, It Takes Two, A Way Out, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, distributed digitally via Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo Switch, and through physical retail, with Electronic Arts as the publishing partner under the EA Originals label.
Is Hazelight a public or private company?
Hazelight is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hazelight founded?
Hazelight was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hazelight based?
Hazelight is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Hazelight make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Video Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are EA Originals Publishing Partnership.
Who are Hazelight's main competitors?
EA Originals is listed as an others. Direct peers are Supergiant Games, Moon Studios, thatgamecompany, Hello Games, Guerrilla Collective / Kojima Productions and Playdead. Broad incumbents are Naughty Dog and Double Fine Productions. Starbreeze Studios is listed as a regional player.
Does Hazelight have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hazelight.
What industry is Hazelight in?
Hazelight's product category is Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFABAA, Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing). Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7370.