Hazelight Studios’ A Way Out is a shining example within a market over-saturated with online multiplayer and live-service games that there is still a significant audience for local co-op titles.
Recently, the studio celebrated a monumental sales milestone, which is amazing for a game that came out almost four years ago. The achievement just goes to show that people want local co-op experiences, so long as they’re well made.
A Way Out Grabs Another Achievement for Its Belt
Recently, Hazelight Studios announced some great news regarding one of its most loved co-op games.
The 2018 title hit nine million sales, a monumental success for the studio. Especially since only one player needs to own a copy of the game for people to play.
The tweet was met with a wave of congratulations from fans and industry peers, who have nothing but nice things to say about the game.
The game, designed exclusively for two players, had a unique style of cooperative gameplay that took the internet by storm when it was released initially.
A Way Out tells the story of Vincent and Leo, two prisoners who must work together to escape from prison and stay on the run from the authorities.
Its split-screen mechanic lets players see each other’s actions in real time, which was amusing and hilarious at times while being a great tool for strategizing.
Whatever success it experienced was only amplified during the pandemic. With lockdown enforced, it was important for a lot of people to stay connected with their friends and family through fun activities.
Local co-op games like A Way Out were the perfect solution. Not to mention, the story was genuinely intriguing, with an emotional pay-off that might just make you cry.
While some games seem to miss out on integrating couch co-op, they don’t speak for the rest.
Local Co-op Games Are Not a Dying Breed
Aside from A Way Out, Hazelight Studios also came out with It Takes Two, another local co-op game that received rave reviews for its innovative gameplay and heartfelt story.
The studio has built a track record for releasing co-op experiences that just don’t miss from a gameplay and story standpoint. With this in mind, it’s not hard to imagine why people are so excited for whatever the next thing is that it’s working on.
It’s not just Hazelight making a difference in the local co-op space; think about Cuphead, Portal 2, Overcooked, The Dark Pictures Anthology, and other similar games. Some of these are quite old, while others are newer.
What they all have in common, however, is that they’re still recommended to this day for people looking for couch co-op. However, there’s still plenty of room for innovation, especially for narrative-heavy local co-op games.
If you’ve played any, which one is your favorite, and why? Let us know in the comments below!
