In an industry often dominated by massive corporations and iterative sequels, Josef Fares stands as a brilliant, bombastic, and fiercely independent auteur. With an estimated net worth of $20 million, Fares has carved out a unique and lucrative niche by championing a single idea: video games are the most powerful medium for emotional, human stories. His fortune is not the result of creating billion-dollar franchises for a major publisher, but of building his own studio, Hazelight, and owning the groundbreaking intellectual property (IP) he creates. From a celebrated film director in Sweden to an iconic figure in the gaming world, Fares’s journey is a masterclass in creative risk-taking, brand building, and the immense financial value of artistic integrity. This deep dive into Josef Fares’s $20 million net worth will explore how he turned his passion for cooperative storytelling into a critically and commercially successful enterprise, proving that in the modern gaming landscape, a compelling vision can be worth far more than just its weight in gold.
Early Career: Acclaim in the World of Film
Before he ever uttered his famous “F*** the Oscars” line at The Game Awards, Josef Fares was an accomplished filmmaker in his native Sweden. This period was crucial for developing his narrative sensibilities and building the initial capital and industry respect that would later fuel his gaming ventures.
- Feature Film Success: Fares wrote and directed several feature films, including Jalla! Jalla! (2000), Kopps (2003), and Zozo (2005). These were not mere indie darlings; they were major commercial successes in Scandinavia. Jalla! Jalla! became one of the highest-grossing Swedish films of the year.
- Awards and Recognition: His work garnered prestigious awards and nominations, including a Guldbagge Award (Sweden’s equivalent of the Oscar) for Best Screenplay. This established him as a serious and bankable creative force.
- Financial Foundation: The success of his films provided Fares with a significant financial foundation. The profits from box office returns, DVD sales, and international licensing deals gave him the economic freedom to pivot into gaming, a passion he had nurtured since childhood. This move was a risk, but it was taken from a position of strength, not desperation.
The Pivot to Gaming: Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons
Fares’s entry into the gaming industry was as unconventional as the man himself. He approached Swedish publisher Starbreeze Studios with a simple but powerful idea for a game.
- Commercial Performance: While not a blockbuster by AAA standards, Brothers was a significant commercial success for a downloadable title, selling millions of copies across platforms. Crucially, as the writer and director, Fares would have earned royalties on these sales, providing a substantial and continuous revenue stream that continues to this day.
- Establishing a Brand: The success of Brothers did two things: it proved Fares’s creative vision had a place in gaming, and it established his brand as a creator of unique, emotionally resonant, and mechanically innovative experiences. This reputation became his most valuable asset.
Founding Hazelight Studios: The Path to Ownership and Independence
The critical and financial success of Brothers gave Fares the leverage to do what all true visionaries aspire to do: found his own studio. This was the single most important decision in building his $20 million net worth.
- Creative and Financial Control: By establishing Hazelight Studios, Fares ensured he would own the intellectual property he created. This moves a creator from being a hired-gun director earning a salary and maybe royalties to being the owner of the asset itself. The difference in long-term financial upside is monumental.
- Partnership with EA: Hazelight entered a unique publishing partnership with Electronic Arts (EA) under their EA Originals label. This deal is pivotal to understanding his wealth. The EA Originals model provides development funding and marketing muscle from a major publisher while allowing the developer to retain full ownership of their IP. This means Hazelight (and by extension, Fares) reaps the vast majority of the profits from their games after EA recoups its marketing and distribution costs.
A Way Out and It Takes Two: The IP Goldmine
The two games released under this model are the primary drivers of Fares’s current wealth.
- A Way Out (2018): This game forced two players to share a single screen and work together to break out of prison and survive on the run. It was another commercial hit, selling over 3.5 million copies. As the owner of the IP, each sale contributed directly to Hazelight’s and Fares’s bottom line.
- It Takes Two (2021): This was the watershed moment. The game was a cultural phenomenon, selling over 10 million copies and winning numerous Game of the Year awards, including the top prize at The Game Awards.
- Financial Impact: With an estimated retail price of $40, It Takes Two generated approximately $400 million in gross revenue. Under the EA Originals deal, Hazelight retains a very large percentage of the profit after costs. Even a conservative estimate would place the studio’s share well into the nine figures. As the founder, owner, director, and writer, Josef Fares’s personal share of this windfall is the core reason his net worth is estimated at $20 million.
Ongoing Royalties and The Value of IP
The beauty of creating a successful video game IP is that it generates revenue long after its release.
- Perpetual Sales: Both It Takes Two and A Way Out continue to sell thousands of copies every month across PC, consoles, and now mobile (for It Takes Two), providing a steady, passive income stream.
- Game Pass and Subscription Services: While the financials are secretive, deals with services like Xbox Game Pass and EA Play involve large lump-sum payments to developers for including their games, providing another massive injection of capital.
- Future Potential: Owning the IP means Fares and Hazelight control the rights for potential sequels, movie adaptations, or merchandise, all of which represent future multi-million dollar opportunities.
Public Persona: The Fares Brand
Fares’s energetic and unfiltered public persona—epitomized by his iconic moment at The Game Awards—is not just for show. It is a brilliant marketing tool. His passion and unpredictability make him a headline-generating machine, ensuring that any project with his name on it receives immense free media attention, drastically reducing marketing costs and building immense hype.
The Value of Vision and Ownership
Josef Fares’s $20 million net worth is a powerful argument for artistic vision and ownership in the modern creative economy. His fortune is built on a clear progression:
- Leveraging Past Success: Using his film career as a springboard into gaming.
- Proving the Concept: Creating a critically adored first game (Brothers) that established his brand.
- Claiming Ownership: The masterstroke—founding his own studio to retain IP ownership.
- Executing at the Highest Level: Releasing back-to-back commercial and critical hits (A Way Out, It Takes Two) under a publisher deal that allows him to keep the vast majority of the profits.
He is not just a game director; he is the owner of valuable, timeless IP. His $20 million net worth is the direct result of betting on himself, proving that the most rewarding game to win is the business of creativity itself.
