A Way Out Dev Josef Fares Says It's "So Sick" That People Don't Finish Games

Game developer Josef Fares, who is known for boldly and passionately sharing his opinions, has now spoken up about how people don't finish games. In short, he doesn't like that the data generally shows that people start games but don't finish them.

In an interview with Game Informer, Fares said he was told that about 51% of people who played his previous game, A Way Out, actually finished it. He was informed that this was a very good percentage, but it's not good enough for Fares.

"It actually it saddens me," he said. "That means that 49 percent of people didn't finish it. It's not something I should be happy about. We need to fix the problem that people are not even finishing our games. People are not even finishing the games."

Fares said he understands that developers might choose to focus their efforts on the initial stages of a game because people might not go further.

"It's so sick that the developers and publishers are literally focusing on the first piece of the game, because they know that's what people will play. This is a mass psychosis going on!" he said.

The next game from Fares and his Hazelight studio is It Takes Two, which launches in March. Fares, hyping his game, said he's confident people will remain engaged and interested in the title until its completion. He's so confident that if anyone can honestly say they grow tired of the game, they can reach out to Fares and he'll give them $1000.

"It's impossible, and quote me on this, to get tired of this game," he said. "I can literally give 1000 bucks to anyone who says, 'Oh, I'm tired of this game now because it doesn't surprise me.' One thousand bucks! I guarantee. I'll give it to everyone who gets tired. But they have to be honest about it."

It Takes Two launches March 26 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, as well as PS4 and Xbox One. Like Hazelight's last games, it can only be played in co-op but it comes with a free "friend's pass" allowing you to play with someone even if they haven't bought the game.