Split Fiction Is A Smash Hit By Every Metric And A Lesson To EA And Others
After being revealed just 12 weeks ago at the Game Awards in December, Split Fiction launched on March 6 to rave reviews. Our own Kenneth Shepard found the game to be incredibly inventive and well-made, calling it a 'victory lap' from studio Hazelight which has been producing excellent co-op games for about a decade now. I've been playing it with my wife over the last few days and I have to agree. It's a truly incredible game that is packed with hundreds of cool moments and ideas. And it seems we aren't alone in loving Split Fiction because looking around at ever publicly available metric on hand, the game is a smash hit.
First, lets look at Metacritic, which is a useful if flawed metric of how well a game is doing overall with critics across multiple sites and outlets. The review aggregator has Split Fiction, as of March 7, sitting at 91 on PS5 and 92 on Xbox and PC. That's damn impressive, and it's enough to make it 2025's highest-rated game thus far. But it's also a big deal for publisher EA, as Split Fiction is EA's first video game to score a 90 or higher on Metacritic in 13 years. The last time that happened was in 2012 with Mass Effect 3.
Next, we can look at Steam and how many people are playing the game on Valve's popular PC storefront. According to the ever-reliable SteamDB, just a few hours after launch, Split Fiction had over 190,000 active concurrent players. Wowza! That means it was as popular as Steam giants like GTA V, Rust, and Marvel Rivals. That high number also set a record for EA. Split Fiction's peak player count of 197,000 is the second highest concurrent number EA has achieved on Steam. Only Apex Legends, a free-to-play battle royale shooter, has done better.
It should also be noted that unlike most other EA games, Split Fiction (like 2024's Dragon Age: The Veilguard) doesn't require you to install and use a separate EA launcher to play. This is further proof that ditching third party launchers is a smart move for any publisher.
EA and Hazelight are also probably really happy that Split Fiction is receiving positive reviews from players on Steam. The new co-op game currently has a 94 percent positive user rating on Steam. That makes it EA's fifth most well-reviewed Steam game, only slightly behind another Hazelight co-op banger, It Takes Two.
While we will have to wait and see how well Split Fiction sells, all the currently available data shows that this is a huge home run for EA. It's yet more evidence that smaller, more focused games (relative to stuff like GTA 6 and Starfield) can succeed and blow up in a big way. And you don't need to spend three years marketing a game for it to find success.
I also think that EA made a smart move when it decided to not lock Split Fiction behind some third-party launcher on PC. Instead, you buy the game on Steam and just play it. Simple, easy, and a much more appealing offer for the sometimes fickle PC playerbase. And let's not forget that Hazelight (an independent studio, but one which relies heavily on EA's money) being able to spend a decade now making smaller co-op games has allowed the team more time to learn and improve at their craft collectively, which means future games are likely to be better.
Now, will EA and other publishers watching learn a lesson from Split Fiction's success? Will they allow studios more chances to make smaller games and not burn millions on years of marketing or lay off people the moment something doesn't hit as big? Probably not. But it would be nice to see someone out there learn a lesson from Split Fiction's home run success.
.
For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Verge
an hour ago
- The Verge
The Outer Worlds 2 will no longer be Microsoft's first $80 Xbox game
Microsoft-owned developer Obsidian Entertainment is announcing a price drop for the The Outer Worlds 2 today. The game was originally supposed to debut at $79.99 in October, but it's now going back to the regular $69.99 Xbox game price. Microsoft announced earlier this year that it would be raising the price of new Xbox first-party games from $69.99 to $79.99, alongside increases to its consoles and controllers. The move to suddenly drop the price of The Outer Worlds 2 is a clear sign that preorders haven't gone too well and that gamers are rejecting Microsoft's initial move to $79.99 Xbox games. If you've already purchased the game then refunds will be handled by the Microsoft Store, Steam, PlayStation store or wherever you preordered The Outer Worlds 2. Other first-party Xbox games coming this holiday will also be sold at $69.99, instead of Microsoft's new $79.99 pricing. 'We're focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore, and will keep our full priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99 – in line with current market conditions,' says an unnamed Xbox spokesperson in a statement to IGN. It will be interesting to see whether Microsoft continues to push its new Xbox game pricing in the new year, or whether this is a sign that it's fully rethinking the increase to $79.99. Update, July 23rd: Article updated with Xbox statement. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Tom Warren Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Microsoft Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Xbox
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘MasterChef' exclusive clip: ‘There's gonna be hell to pay' over undercooked, ‘mooing' steaks
"There's gonna be hell to pay" on tonight's dramatic episode of MasterChef. The Top 8 duos take on another demanding team challenge outside the comforts of the MasterChef kitchen — crafting a VIP dining experience aboard a moving steam train. The pressure is on as they race against time in an intense test of teamwork, hoping to avoid running off the rails (both figuratively and literally). More from Gold Derby 'Big Brother 27' spoilers: Rachel threatens all-out 'war' after Keanu points out her flaws from 15 years ago Zae Frederich on his dramatic exit from 'Big Brother,' Jimmy's HOH win, and why he wasn't 'fanboying' over Rachel In an exclusive preview clip below, the judges harshly critique the Red Team's steak dinner and issue a stern warning to team captains Zach and Michelle Lamb: one duo's mistakes may derail the entire operation. "They look sloppy," Joe Bastianich scolds during a taste test. "We need more precision, more perfection." The tension escalates further as Gordon Ramsay and Tiffany Derry take aim at the underseasoned crab meat, and Joe delivers another blow, this time targeting the dish's undercooked steaks. "That's black and blue," he says, visibly unimpressed. "If I start bringing back steaks from the dining room mooing like this, there's gonna be hell to pay." So, who is behind the steaks? The culprit is mother-daughter duo Tonna and Cait Jacobson, a pairing Gordon admits he's "not comfortable with" when it comes to cooking the beef. Will Zach and Michelle find a way to steer their team toward redemption, or is failure inevitable? Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT to find out which duos can rise above the chaos aboard this high-pressure challenge — and don't forget to check out our recap at Gold Derby. For the members of the losing team, the stakes will get even higher — they'll head into the season's second Pressure Test, where at least one duo will face elimination. Best of Gold Derby From 'Housewives' overload to the 'shadiest queens' alliance: The dish on 'The Traitors' Season 4 lineup The 25 best 'Survivor' villains of the past 25 years 'Survivor' winners list: All seasons Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword
Engadget
12 hours ago
- Engadget
Microsoft backtracks on $80 The Outer Worlds 2 pricing
There's hope that the gaming industry won't follow Nintendo's lead with $80 pricing. (Well, at least not yet.) On Wednesday, Microsoft backtracked on the price increase for The Outer Worlds 2 . The game now costs $70, which itself was considered outrageous only a few years ago. Microsoft told Windows Central that those who already pre-ordered Obsidian's shooter at $80 can get refunds at the point of purchase. Unfortunately, you can't simply get a $10 price adjustment. You'll have to refund the full $80 and then pre-order again for $70. I'm beginning to think consumer-friendliness isn't the priority here. The $80 pricing push began with Mario Kart World . Comments by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford initially suggested Borderlands 4 might have followed. Fortunately, 2K Games saw something in the backlash that made it balk; it's launching at $70. A Bluesky user summed it up in a reply to Obsidian's U-turn. "Consumer advocacy in this awful state of the industry WORKS," @johnbrebbia posted. The gaming industry is caught in a godawful whirlwind of layoffs, studio closures and price increases. That's happening against a backdrop of rising costs for consumers. Meanwhile, the gaming industry is projected to reach $189 billion this year, a 3.4 percent increase. That's a combustible mixture if ever there was one. Ironically, Obsidian's sci-fi RPG deals with themes of late-stage capitalism. The developer even deployed in-world satire to announce the pricing change: "Dear Galactic Citizens! We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing..." Winking at one's audience is usually a good thing, but this strikes me as more of a "dude, read the room" moment. Regardless, The Outer Worlds 2 is set to arrive on October 29. It will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.
