Little Nightmares 3 Could Be the Split Fiction for Spooky…

Little Nightmares 3 already has quite a storied history. Original Little Nightmares creator Tarsier Studios was bought by Embracer Group back in 2019, but Bandai Namco retained the rights to the IP following the acquisition. The publisher waited a few years before naming a new captain for the cutesy horror series, but in August 2023 Little Nightmares 3 was announced. Supermassive Games – of Until Dawn and Dark Pictures fame – was confirmed to be developing the sequel.

Little Nightmares 3 originally had a 2024 release window, but it never materialized. Then, in May 2024, it was officially delayed to 2025. But Little Nightmares 3 is almost ready to head out into the world, as Supermassive has just confirmed an October 10, 2025, release date. That sets it up nicely to be the Split Fiction of spooky season, but there's a big asterisk attached to Little Nightmares 3's co-op.

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By LB Beistad

Split Fiction Has Continued to Prove The Popularity of Story-Driven Co-Op Games

While co-op horde, extraction, and looter shooters are still incredibly popular, story-driven co-op titles aren't nearly as prevalent in the modern gaming market. But that's where Hazelight Studios has managed to carve out a healthy niche for itself. Hazelight's debut title, A Way Out, was released in 2018. It delivered a thrilling prison escape adventure with a unique co-op twist. 2021's It Takes Two doubled down on this story-driven co-op approach, delivering an even greater variety of novel gameplay opportunities, and winning The Game Awards' top trophy for doing so.

Earlier this year, Hazelight produced its latest co-op adventure. Much like It Takes Two, Split Fiction fully embraced the studio's distinctive co-op formula, and it earned universal acclaim for its efforts, currently sitting at a higher rating than its predecessor on both OpenCritic and Metacritic.

A key part of Hazelight's success is its willingness to put local co-op at the forefront of its experiences. Though split-screen multiplayer used to be a staple of gaming thanks to groundbreaking games like GoldenEye 007, Halo, and Borderlands, it's sadly become a relic of gaming history.

Each of Hazelight's games has been made from the ground up with local, split-screen co-op in mind, and that novelty has earned the studio a loyal following. And with Split Fiction selling two million copies in just its first week, there's seemingly still a sizable market for these types of experiences.

Little Nightmares 3 Could Have Been Halloween 2025's Split Fiction If It Wasn't For One Big Problem

Little Nightmares 3 Doesn't Have Local Co-Op

Setting itself apart from its predecessors immediately, Little Nightmares 3 is putting co-op front and center this time around. This puts Little Nightmares 3 in a great position to ride the wave of Split Fiction's recent success, but it's missing a key component of Hazelight's formula; it doesn't have local co-op.

It's been officially confirmed several times now that Little Nightmares 3 will feature online co-op only. According to a 2023 GamesRadar interview with Supermassive game director Wayne Garland, the developer decided to stick with just online co-op as split-screen is often associated with a "party" atmosphere, and that wouldn't fit with Little Nightmares 3's darker tone. Regardless, Little Nightmares 3's lack of couch co-op is undeniably disappointing, and it feels a little odd given that both characters seem to be on-screen together at all times.

Little Nightmares 3 is at least borrowing Hazelight's "Friend Pass" system, which will let players invite an online friend to play without them needing to buy a second copy of the game.

Little Nightmares 3's Lack of Local Co-Op Is Particularly Disappointing For One Platform

Little Nightmares 3 would have been a perfect local co-op game for the Nintendo Switch 2. The console has two controllers attached at all times, and given the relative simplicity of Little Nightmares' usual button layouts, the inputs would probably fit just fine on a sideways Joy-Con. The Switch 2's larger, better screen would also have allowed for portable Little Nightmares 3 co-op sessions.

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