(PR) Today is a great day to be a gamer, as EA and Hazelight Studios unveiled Split Fiction: Friend Edition – a very special edition of the anticipated co-op adventure from the team behind the 2021 Game of the Year winner, It Takes Two. This limited edition of Split Fiction comes with all the essentials for you to jump straight into amazing co-op gaming – a copy of the game, a second controller, and for the first (and maybe only) time ever, a real friend shipped straight to your door. Get ready, because Split Fiction: Friend Edition is coming soon to a couch near you.
“As a gamer, being part of an epic special edition like this is awesome! I’m honored to be the first ever real-life friend to come with a game,” said Greg, a companion that players can unbox by ordering Split Fiction: Friend Edition. “It was a little scary when Josef Fares told me to go into the packaging, but it’s roomier and comfier than it looks. I’m excited to travel the world and make a new friend. I’ve got snacks to share and high fives to hand out as soon as I’m unboxed.”
Friend Edition is an innovative solution to the age-old “I need a co-op buddy now” problem, by bringing a living, breathing co-op partner straight to players and delivering the multiplayer magic that defines Hazelight’s games. And if you’re planning to stream the game and need a partner in a pinch, this is a perfect bundle for you.
“I´ve heard your feedback, some of you out there don´t have a friend to play with. But don’t you worry, I got you covered!” said Josef Fares, Hazelight Studios Founder.
In response to Friend Edition, EA Chief Publishing Officer Scott Forrest also stated, “They’re doing WHAT!? No, of course we didn’t sign off on this! Why on Earth would they go through the trouble of shipping when you can just join the Discord and use Friend’s Pass for free?”
Quantities of Split Fiction: Friend Edition are very limited, so be sure to keep an eye on the official website. Can’t get your hands on one? Don’t worry! There are countless players looking for friends to play with on the official Hazelight Discord Server. And with Friend’s Pass, you can invite anyone to play with you for free if you own a copy of the game: https://discord.com/invite/hazelight
No matter how two players find each other, Split Fiction will support full cross-play across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via EA App, Steam and Epic Games Store when it launches on March 6. And with Hazelight’s Friend’s Pass, a returning feature from prior Hazelight titles, finding a co-op partner is easier than ever as two players can play with one copy of the game for free, even across platforms.
About Split Fiction
In Split Fiction , players will discover a variety of sci-fi and fantasy mechanics and abilities. Escape a sun that’s going supernova, challenge a monkey to a dance battle, try out some cool hoverboard tricks, fight an evil kitty and ride everything from gravity bikes to a sandshark. With worlds that are entirely different from each other, surprising challenges await players at every turn.
Mio and Zoe are contrasting writers, one of sci-fi and the other of fantasy, who become trapped in their own stories after being hooked up to a machine designed to steal their creative ideas. Jumping back and forth between worlds, they’ll have to work together and master a variety of abilities in order to break free with their memories intact.
(PR) In the build up to Split Fiction’s launch, we’ve shared information on Side Stories, player characters Mio and Zoe, and The Friend’s Pass. Now we’re diving into the more technical aspects of the game, which you’ll be able to experience with your co-op partner starting March 6th. Read on to learn more about the PC requirements, Steam Native support, Steam Deck verification and more!
Steam Native
For starters, we’re happy to announce that Split Fiction will be Steam Native and Steam Deck verified! Similar to It Takes Two, Split Fiction will not require the EA App either, meaning you’ll be able to play the game using just the Steam Client on PC, no other application needed. You will be able to easily send game invites and join your friends on Steam directly through the Steam Friends List system, allowing you to get into the chaotic action quicker. Please note, however, that you’ll need a free EA account if you want to connect with a friend who’s playing on a different platform through cross-play, such as Xbox or PlayStation consoles.
Steam Deck Verified
Whether you’re at home or on the go, you will be able to transport yourself into the world of Mio and Zoe’s mind-boggling adventure as Split Fiction is Verified on Valve’s Steam Deck handheld device, giving you even more options to take advantage of Split Fiction supporting cross-play. You will also be able to take advantage of the Steam Cloud Save functionality, meaning you can play on your PC, save and close the game, then carry on where you left off on your Steam Deck and vice versa! We’re excited to see all the unexpected locations the community will end up playing Split Fiction at launch and beyond.
PC Specs
For those of you who will be stepping into Mio and Zoe’s shoes on PC, the below chart lists the Minimum and Recommended Specifications the game will require, giving you an idea of what will be needed from your PC to experience Split Fiction’s immense variety of environments and gameplay challenges in their true glory. We have worked tirelessly to ensure the game will be optimised on launch, completing hours and hours of performance and compatibility testing with the goal of making sure that the game will run as smoothly as possible, even on PC’s configured at the games listed minimum system requirements.
Minimum Specification
- OS: 64 bit Windows 10/11
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6600k or AMD Ryzen 5 2600k
- Memory: 16 GB
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 – 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 470 – 4GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Network: Broadband Internet Connection
- Storage: 85 GB available space
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p) Native
- FPS: 30
- Graphic Preset: Low
Recommended Specification
- OS: 64 bit Windows 10/11
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11700k or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- Memory: 16 GB
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 – 8GB or AMD Radeon 6700 XT – 12GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Network: Broadband Internet Connection
- Storage: 85 GB available space
- Resolution: 2560×1440 (2K) Native
- FPS: 60
- Graphic Preset: High
Ultrawide Resolution Support
Ultrawide monitors are becoming more and more popular for gaming, which is why Split Fiction will support ultrawide resolutions for PC players alongside more standard resolutions. With support for 21:9 and 32:9 resolutions, you will have even more screen real estate to soak in the dystopian sci-fi and out-of-this world fantasy environments.
Accessibility Options
Split Fiction has a wide range of accessibility options that you can enable and disable as you see fit, ensuring everyone can comfortably enjoy Mio and Zoe’s story.
- Subtitles with optional backgrounds
- Closed captioning
- Skippable checkpoints for sections players may get stuck at.
- Toggleable option to replace button mash prompts/analogue stick spinning/stick wiggling prompts with more simplified inputs.
- Adjustable damage modifiers to reduce the amount of damage enemies inflict on the player
- Persistent aim dot
- Ability to swap the left and right analogue sticks
- Remappable input controls, allowing custom inputs
- Adjustable camera sensitivity
Console Support
Split Fiction will also be launching on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S and we have made great efforts to create an optimised experience for those of you who plan to play on either console. The game will run at 60fps, giving you and your co-op partner a smooth action adventure thrill ride with Mio and Zoe inside their vivid and beautiful simulated worlds. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X players will be able to play Split Fiction in incredible detail with the game running at dynamic 4k resolution, meanwhile players on the Xbox Series S will play at a resolution of 1080p.
You can also check out our previous blog post – which explains how The Friend’s Pass and Cross-play work – here.
*Friend’s Pass requires installation of the Friend’s Pass, persistent internet connection, and applicable platform account. One user must own the full game in order for the co-op player to play the full game.
(PR) With the launch of Split Fiction only days away, we are back with another blog with more important details for you to unpack! In our previous blog, we covered the game being Verified on Steam Deck and the game being native to Steam. Today, we’re sharing information about some important dates for your diary!
Launch Timings
Split Fiction is launching globally on March 6th and we’ve created the below launch time map to give you a more precise time for when the game will go live in your region.
The game will launch at the same time for all players across the world so take note of when that is in your local timezone, add it to your diary and prepare for the sci-fi and fantasy adventure of a lifetime with Mio and Zoe in Hazelight Studios latest co-operative adventure!
When does Split Fiction launch in your local timezone?
- Los Angeles: 6 March 08:00 PST
- Toronto: 6 March 11:00 EST
- Mexico City: 6 March 10:00 CST
- Brasilia: 6 March 13:00 BRT
- New York: 6 March 11:00 EST
- London: 6 March 16:00 GMT
- Madrid: 6 March 17:00 CET
- Johannesburg: 6 March 18:00 SAST
- Nairobi: 6 March 19:00 EAT
- Kuala Lumpur: 7 March 00:00 MYT
- Beijing: 7 March 00:00 CST
- Seoul: 7 March 01:00 KST
- Tokyo: 7 March 01:00 JST
- Sydney: 7 March 03:00 AEDT
If all that has you excited to learn more about the game, we recommend joining the Hazelight Discord to discuss all things Split Fiction! Make sure to follow Hazelight on both X and Instagram to see more aspects of the game showcased ahead of launch.
Split Fiction is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on March 6th, 2025.