"It's impossible to not be cocky when you have a game like this": It Takes Two's Josef Fares is back and drumming up another Game Awards reveal

It Takes Two
(Image credit: EA)

Josef Fares, the famously eccentric and foul-mouthed director behind It Takes Two, is back and drumming up excitement for the announcement of his next game at The Game Awards.

Fares is known for his on and off-stage antics, and in particular, his endearing and animated excitement about his own games. Back in 2021, he jokingly (at least, I hope) promised to give $1,000 to anyone who got bored with It Takes Two. Naturally, after that came out and received universal acclaim, he said his next game would be "even better."

Well, we're about to see what all the hype is about, as Fares has confirmed following a leak that Hazelight's next project will be revealed at The Game Awards 2024 this Thursday.

In a video shared to Hazelight's Twitter account, Fares can be seen zipping around his studio, showcasing the various awards it's won, and chatting with developers. At one point, he interacts with a developer working on "a big boss in the game" that he says we will "go nuts" over.

He then strolls over to Hazelight's motion capture room and casually reveals the stars of the game: Mio, played by Kaja Chan, and Zoe, played by Elsie Bennett. Fares says the characters are inspired by his real-life daughters, who are actually named Mio and Zoe.

Finally, Fares sits down to play the game, although we never catch a glimpse of it. "A lot of people say I'm cocky, but it's impossible to not be cocky when you have a game like this in front of you. I'm telling you. You will see what I mean when you play it."

According to the yet unconfirmed rumor mill, Hazelight's next game is called Split Fiction and is coming to PC and consoles in March. The studio itself lent some credibility to that rumor with a tease on its Twitter account, but when the full reveal is 48 hours away, it's probably not worth getting into all of that right now.

Find out why It Takes Two is one of the best co-op games to play right now.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
The two characters in Split Fiction in futuristic bodysuits staring at a huge crack in the simulation they're in
Split Fiction and It Takes Two director is already "fully focused" on Hazelight's next game, which the studio started work on around a month ago: "It's quite early"
Mio and Zoe encounter a Sandfish in a ruined sandy world in Split Fiction
Split Fiction ups the ante on It Takes Two's wacky co-op action, while showing why human creativity still matters
Mio and Zoe talking by a big bubble in a city setting in Split Fiction
It Takes Two sold over 20 million copies and won GOTY, but Hazelight's Josef Fares says "all the numbers looked really, really bad" before the co-op studio became "this really big developer"
The two characters in Split Fiction in futuristic bodysuits staring at a huge crack in the simulation they're in
Split Fiction players defeat secret challenge so tough that some of the devs themselves can "barely" complete it, and get rewarded with the promise of an early peek at the director's next game
Mio and Zoe jump onto a cyberpunk style motorbike in Split Fiction
Split Fiction director Josef Fares says Ubisoft is "struggling" and should make a co-op Splinter Cell game: "Don't chicken out to do single-player; just say this is split-screen only"
The two characters in Split Fiction holding their hands up in surrender in a futuristic city
Split Fiction director says he'd "really appreciate" winning GOTY again, but if GTA 6 comes out in 2025 "it's going to be really tough" and he's fine with that because he's "a huge fan"
Latest in Co Op
A character's face in horror game REPO.
Best REPO mods to improve your matches with more players and new monsters
Cropped key art for Revenge of the Savage Planet showing two player characters running away from lots of green goo, flanked by various googly-eyed wildlife
Revenge of the Savage Planet is a refreshingly colorful and light-hearted co-op throwback to the carefree action platformers of the noughties
The two characters in Split Fiction holding their hands up in surrender in a futuristic city
The actors behind Split Fiction's main characters nearly botched their first auditions because they didn't know the script had two sides: "We were just stood there, sweating"
A player carrying a potion in horror game REPO.
REPO Strength explained and how to upgrade it
A room in horror game REPO.
How to play REPO
The two characters in Split Fiction in futuristic bodysuits staring at a huge crack in the simulation they're in
Split Fiction players defeat secret challenge so tough that some of the devs themselves can "barely" complete it, and get rewarded with the promise of an early peek at the director's next game
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game