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Split Fiction and It Takes Two director still hates microtransactions: 'I think it's a huge problem and it's stopping our industry from a creative perspective'

Josef Fares, director of It Takes Two and Split Fiction, vehemently criticizes microtransactions, asserting they negatively impact game design and stifle creativity. Split Fiction's success, as Metacritic's highest-rated game of the year, showcases the benefits of a microtransaction-free approach.

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It Takes Two and Split Fiction director Josef Fares has doubled down once more on his hatred of microtransactions in games, explaining that they're the "kind of shits" that affect game design, and not in a good way.

Right from the moment when Hazelight Studios' latest co-op romp, Split Fiction, was announced, Fares proclaimed that there'd be "no loot boxes, no microtransactions, no bullshit" included. This ideology is something he's reiterated, having recently told MinnMax that the studio will "never have microtransactions" in its games. Now, he's elaborated on this a bit further in a video reacting to YouTube comments (via Fall Damage), explaining that he thinks microtransactions are "a huge problem" for the games industry.

Responding to one comment praising his "no loot boxes, no microtransactions, no bullshit" line as "words to live by," Fares says: "Of course, and that goes for everything we do at Hazelight.

"I think those kind of shits affect the design of how the game should be done," he continues. "Every time you [make] a decision, a design decision, [made based] on you making more money in the game, I think it's a huge problem and it's stopping our industry from a creative perspective."

When it comes to creativity, Fares certainly knows his stuff. Split Fiction has debuted as Metacritic's highest-rated game of the year so far, and it's clear that a big part of that is thanks to how inventive it is. In our own Split Fiction review, we said the co-op game is "never short of new ideas or mechanics," and "consistently introduces one good idea after another."

For more games like Split Fiction and It Takes Two, be sure to check out our list of the best co-op games you can play now.