Split Fiction director Josef Fares praises Nintendo, Rockstar and Naughty Dog for 'pushing the envelope of innovation with a AAA budget'

• In an interview with The Game Business, Split Fiction director Josef Fares has commented on the current viability of AAA development
• Fares believes that AAA games are still able to take risks and innovate, in the same way that indies and AA titles do
• "I would argue that, actually, Naughty Dog is pushing the envelope of innovation with a AAA budget"

Split Fiction and It Takes Two director Josef Fares recently sat down with The Game Business, to discuss the current state of game development.

Responding to a question about whether it's harder for AAA games to take risks, when compared to AA and indie titles, Fares countered that big studios like Naughty Dog, Nintendo and Rockstar still manage to innovate in their AAA projects.

"I would argue that, actually, Naughty Dog is pushing the envelope of innovation with a AAA budget,” he counters. “I would argue Rockstar is doing it. Nintendo is, most of the time, doing it. So you can do a big AAA title but also take innovative risks."

Josef Fares currently heads up Hazelight Studios, the EA-published team that's put out A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction over the last decade. Despite his belief that AAA games can still push innovation forward, Fares does acknowledge the risks associated with large-scale projects:

"But once you go over a $100 million dollar budget, you’re going to be like, ‘okay, sh*t. There’s a lot of money on the table’. People are more scared. It’s understandable. But it’s proven that you can do it."

The rest of the interview sees Josef Fares commenting on the future of game development, particular with regards to the potential risks and rewards of using generative AI to make games. "I don’t see AI taking over. I don’t. But it’s really hard to answer. Who knows what happens in the future?"

Split Fiction launched on March 6, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X and PC, before coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. We absolutely loved Hazelight Studios' latest effort, awarding it 5 stars out of 5 and calling it "a pioneer of co-op gaming".

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