Josef Fares, founder and director of Hazelight Studios, has defended Electronic Arts (EA), saying he feels the company has been "criticized more than it deserves" over the years.
In an interview with "The Game Business," the head of the award-winning studio, creator of It Takes Two and last year's Split Fiction, discussed its relationship with EA and noted that the partnership has been "super."
Citing other major players in the industry, Fares emphasized that EA is being unfairly targeted:
"Let's be honest, there isn't a publisher in the world that doesn't mess things up from time to time. Sometimes I feel that EA is criticized more than it deserves," Fares said.
"I mean, look at Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, they've all done something that wasn't good. But somehow EA has become the 'bad guy.'”
Although EA is often labeled the industry's "bad guy," Fares insists that there are "enough great people" at the company and that they respect Hazelight's way of working.
He added that he is surrounded by people at EA who "love games" and does not feel like he is merely among corporate employees. Fares also noted that even if the situation were to change, he would not be worried, because Hazelight will always "do what it wants."
Fares previously stated that EA has never interfered with the studio's creativity: "There are no restrictions on creativity here. Everything at the studio is fine... There are no barriers like, 'You have to do this, you have to get past that stage.'"
Hazelight's latest game, Split Fiction, was released last March and became a major success, selling millions of copies in a short period.
