Summary
Split Fictionhas become the first EA-published title in thirteen years to receive a 90+ score on Metacritic. The studio’s last game to receive such high praise wasMass Effect 3in 2012, but Hazelight Studios' critically acclaimed co-op titleSplit Fictionhas finally broken the unfortunate trend for the publisher with a current Metacritic score of 91 based on 84 critic reviews.
After Hazelight Studios won the coveted Game of the Year award forIt Takes Twoback in 2021, it’s no surprise thatSplit Fictionis receiving rave reviewsfrom critics and players. The new co-op adventure title was only released on March 6, but it already has an “overwhelmingly positive” review score on Steam, with over 1,500 reviews at the time of writing. Both players and critics have praisedSplit Fictionfor its “mind-blowing mechanics,” creativity, and more, with some players even calling it “the ultimate co-op game.” So, it should come as no surprise that Hazelight Studios has become one of EA’s best reviewed games in years.
Split Fiction’s Metacritic Score Breaks a 13-Year Trend for EA
AlthoughSplit Fictionwas developed by Hazelight Studios,known forIt Takes TwoandA Way Out, the potential 2025 Game of the Year candidate was once again published by Electronic Arts. While the publisher has plenty of smash hits under its belt, such asStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,The Sims,Titanfall,Dragon Age, and many more, it has been a long time since the studio has received such high praise for one of its games. As noticed by Twitter userKami,Split Fictionis the first EA-published game in thirteen years to obtain a Metacritic score of 90 or higher. The last title to do so was Bioware’s smash-hit 2012 title,Mass Effect 3, which currently holds a hugely impressive score of 93 on Metacritic.
Another key feature that contributed to the positive reviews wasthe return ofIt Takes Two’s Friends Pass. AsSplit Fictionis another co-op title that cannot be played alone, Hazelight Studios has once again brought back Friends Pass, a feature that allows two players to jump into the game with just one copy. UnlikeIt Takes Two, Hazelight has takenSplit Fiction’s Friends Pass to the next level by also introducing cross-play functionality. This means that one player could purchaseSplit Fictionon PS5, for example, while a friend on either Xbox Series X/S or PC simply needs to download the free Friends Pass, thus allowing both players to jump in together.
While we’re only three months into 2025,Split Fictionseems to have thrown its hat into the ring as a potential Game of the Year contender. But that’s not to say that it’s going to be an easy win for Hazelight Studios, as the developer already has some stiff competition fromthe critically acclaimedKingdom Come: Deliverance 2andMonster Hunter Wilds,the latter of which boasts an impressive Metacritic score of 90. Plus, with the hugely anticipatedGrand Theft Auto 6also slated for Fall 2025, it’s safe to say that the 2025 Game of the Year is going to be a tough call.
