Split Fiction's Elsie Bennett and Kaja Chan have that magic ingredient every duo needs

From the moment Elsie Bennett and Kaja Chan, the two stars of Split Fiction, both join the call to chat with indy100, their chemistry is immediately apparent.

Bennett was slightly late joining as she was waiting in another virtual meeting (we've all been there right?), something which Chan immediately wants on the record.

Bennett immediately hits back, joking: "You can come at me Kaja but I will get you back in this interview with extra things, okay?"

indy100 can tell from this first moment this is going to be an unforgettable chat with two charismatic talents who are perfectly in sync. And it very much is.

Split Fiction is a multiplayer co-op game from Hazelight Studios where two players take on the roles of two unpublished writers, Mio (Chan) who writes sci-fi and Zoe (Bennett) whose work is in fantasy.

They have both been allured by the potential of finally having the opportunity to share their stories with the world and players play through their stories and ideas; there is so much variety through its levels and gameplay.

They start as complete opposites forced to work their way through each level together before forging an unforgettable bond and each individual's story, plus the way their relationship grows, takes players on a unique journey.

The success of Split Fiction's story is achieved through brilliant performances from Bennett and Chan and their undeniable chemistry stemmed from their first audition together, when things didn't go quite as planned reading through the opening awkward elevator scene together.

Elsie Bennett and Kaja Chan's first audition together of the elevator scene didn't go as planned but is described as a "gift" by Chan / Screenshot from EA

"We did the scene and normally at the end of casting, someone will say 'cut' and we were waiting for this cut to come," Bennett said.

"But it wasn't coming.

"So we were elevator acting, waiting, starting to panic, looking at each other. We eventually then hear 'cut' and someone said 'did you guys not get the rest of the script?'

"Neither of us had turned over the page to look at the other side and I think, from that moment, I thought we were good together, we were going to make the same mistakes and laugh about it."

Chan agreed: "I think that was such a lucky moment for us to have, it instantly made us let go of any of the pretence, it was like we were here to play, to play, mess about and make mistakes. That was a gift."

From there, a wonderfully natural chemistry blossomed which translated seamlessly to their characters in Split Fiction.

Bennett and Chan have a natural chemistry together / Screenshot from Hazelight Studios

As well as the voice acting, their chemistry shone through in motion capture too, which led to some memorable moments.

Chan said: "I was very excited to play the gorilla with bionic arms; I feel like I was destined to do that though! In a musical production, I did play as a gorilla-esque alien once, so I've done all the creature work previously.

"In general, I loved playing the side stories. We did mo cap in one scene as the pigs even though we weren't walking as them, we played the teeth, all of that was really fun."

"When you're in the room, if they have a mockup of the character, they'll put it up and you can see how our movements translates into that character's movements," Bennett added.

"When it was the teeth, we were probably quite childlike, and we were wobbling around, I think at one point we were chest bumping each other as teeth."

Split Fiction is one of the highest rated games of 2025 so far / Screenshot from EA

Split Fiction released to widespread critical acclaim and still stands as MetaCritic's best console release of 2025, one of only two games released this year to have a rating above 90.

And both have been left in awe at just how well it has been received.

Bennett said: "It's just amazing, we always knew we were doing something cool, exciting and different but I think when we saw it for the first time, we thought this is big, the ending and stuff, it's wild.

"The reaction has just been so thrilling to see - one thing I can't get over is that people are in their homes playing as us for hours! For hours we're in their lives and people are coming together, what a feeling.

"Sometimes as an actor, you think I'm not a doctor, I'm not saving lives, I'm not doing this, I'm not doing that but getting messages from people saying they're playing it with others makes me think, actually, I might not be saving lives but at least I'm bringing people together or I've made someone have a special experience."

That was reciprocated by Chan.

"It's such an honour to be a part of a game and a story that brings so many people in a room with each other, to work together, to interact with one another, to have fun, to laugh, to cry and it's a game where everyone can find something in it," she said.

"I've had many people write to me saying they were moved by Mio's experiences, by Mio's storyline and how it helped them worked through troubles they're going through.

"Games are just an inherently more active experience than just watching a film or TV or even a play. For me, that's the greatest honour to play a special role in people's lives in this moment right now."

The chemistry between Bennett and Chan has been the key ingredient in helping make the story of Split Fiction, and the game itself as a whole, be so good, fun and successful. It's that piece of magic every duo needs.

Elsewhere, a deep dive into why Elon Musk 'rage quit' his recent Path of Exile 2 stream and some fans have been left baffled at Season 3 of The Last of Us already being announced.

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