Split Fiction, the newest game from developer Hazelight Studios, has opened to highly positive reviews from the community. An average Metacritic score of 91% is a testament to this fact, and anyone who was worried about how the studio behind The Game Awards 2021's Game of the Year winner It Takes Two would do next can rest easy.
This positive reception on its release day put it among the most popular video game releases this year. It also attracted content creators from across the globe, putting up livestreaming statistics that made it one of the ten most popular titles on Twitch on its release day of March 6.
Split Fiction is a unique two-player co-op action-adventure title that seems to have brought together the myriad ideas that Hazelight Studios must have had after the success of It Takes Two. Released for the Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC on March 6, the 3D platformer has picked up plenty of positive reactions from the industry, including over 1,300 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam.
Some people are already calling it an early candidate for the Game of the Year, something that will no doubt be music to the ears of its developers. Its snappy platforming allows for great aerial manoeuvrability, while the story and the juxtaposition of the two main characters are very relatable, two aspects that have come in for plenty of praise from players and critics.
The great reception to Split Fiction saw it reach 149,470 Peak Viewers (PV) on its release day. This put the game among the most popular categories in the livestreaming on March 6, outperforming the recently released but similarly successful Marvel Rivals and Monster Hunter Wilds and other titles from legendary franchises, like EA Sports FC 25, Street Fighter 6, and Destiny 2.
The nearly 150,000 peak concurrent viewers that Split Fiction hit also helped it outperform popular media football competitions like the Baller League and the Kings League. With football becoming a growing influence in the livestreaming industry, outperforming such tournaments that have, in the past, attracted millions of viewers should be a good sign for Hazelight Studios.
Split Fiction's split-screen, co-op set-up has so far been a roaring success, as it allows for a more intimate experience for the two players. Moreover, the Friend's Pass feature, which allows access to two players even if only one of them owns the game, regardless of platform, thus supporting cross-play, has come in for high praise.
Interestingly, the game has been received well by a global audience, with streamers from Europe and Latin America especially jumping on the bandwagon. When looking at its most-watched creators on the release day, most entries came from Russia and Germany, with the likes of Dmitry "Recrent" Osintsev, Maximilian "HandOfBlood" Knabe, Anton "T2x2" Tatyrzha, and Maximilian "Trymacs" Stemmler giving it a lot of love.
Split Fiction's success has also become one of the more popular video game releases in 2025, currently sitting in the top five on a table led by the highly-lauded Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. In fact, these are the top two new launches of the year so far when looking at the peak concurrent viewership on their respective release days.
Considering the success of its other games and the recent love shown by fans for platformers, there is no doubt that as more players learn about Split Fiction, its livestreaming stats will continue to improve. As always, the Streams Charts team will keep a close eye on the game's performance over the next few days and weeks and report any interesting data that pops up.
