Splitgate 2 Relaunches With Humble Tone After Controversy
▼ Summary
– Splitgate 2’s beta servers will shut down on December 4, with a full re-release planned for later in December, earlier than the original 2026 timeline.
– The game initially launched in May but faced server issues and controversy after the CEO wore a MAGA-style hat at The Game Awards.
– 1047 Games reverted the game to beta, laid off staff, and shut down Splitgate 1 servers due to high costs, but added peer-to-peer support for fans.
– The re-release includes major overhauls such as rebuilt foundations, removed factions, new modes, maps, weapons, and gameplay improvements like portal overloading.
– The developer aims for organic growth post-relaunch without massive hype, focusing on delivering a fun game and addressing past issues.
The highly anticipated team-based shooter Splitgate 2 is making a surprise comeback much sooner than anyone predicted. Developer 1047 Games has announced that instead of waiting until 2026, the game will undergo a full relaunch later this month. The beta servers will be taken offline on December 4 to facilitate this rapid transition, marking a significant shift from the studio’s original timeline.
For those needing a recap, Splitgate 2 initially showed great potential as an evolution of the well-regarded original, Splitgate: Arena Warfare. Its open beta launch in May, however, was plagued by immediate and severe server failures. The situation worsened dramatically two weeks later when CEO Ian Proulx appeared at The Game Awards wearing a politically charged MAGA-style hat. The resulting controversy created a public relations disaster that undoubtedly damaged the game’s reputation, though the exact impact remains difficult to measure.
The project unraveled quickly after these setbacks. Within two months, 1047 Games reverted Splitgate 2 to beta status, conducted significant layoffs, and announced the shutdown of the original Splitgate’s servers due to unsustainable operating costs. The studio did manage to implement peer-to-peer support by August, allowing dedicated fans to continue playing the first game despite the official server closure.
When announcing the beta reversion, the development team committed to going “heads down” until early next year to rebuild core components and recapture the magic that made the original game special. Surprisingly, this extensive overhaul appears to have been completed in record time. According to a recent blog post, the developers have “rebuilt the entire foundation around what makes Splitgate special: portals, movement, and pure gunplay.”
Significant gameplay changes have been implemented throughout the experience. The development team completely removed factions and reimagined abilities as power-ups instead. Classic roundless modes including King of the Hill, Domination, and Team Deathmatch have returned alongside a new Classic Arena mode designed to replicate the original Splitgate’s even-starts gameplay. The updates extend to new maps, additional weapons, completely reworked menus, and continuous refinements based on player feedback.
The strategic elements have been enhanced with the introduction of portal overloading and EMPs, fundamentally altering how players control maps. Equipment systems have been streamlined for better combat clarity, controller responsiveness has been fine-tuned, critical bugs have been resolved, and countless optimizations have been implemented throughout the game.
Proulx explained on Reddit that 1047 Games is taking an “intentionally different” approach to this relaunch compared to the initial release. “We aren’t trying to build massive hype going into relaunch,” he wrote. “We just want to put out a great game (which I firmly believe we now have) and then grow it over time.” He pointed to Splitgate 1’s organic growth pattern, which began with just a few hundred concurrent players on day one before expanding steadily through word-of-mouth based on its fun gameplay.
The CEO specifically addressed speculation about the timing, clarifying that the early relaunch isn’t driven by investor pressure and confirming he won’t be attending The Game Awards in December.
Whether Splitgate 2 can successfully rebuild its player base remains uncertain. SteamDB data shows the game reached nearly 26,000 concurrent players at its June peak, though server issues may have suppressed this number. By three months later, player counts had dwindled to just a few hundred at any given time.
Despite the challenging history, Proulx remains optimistic about the game’s prospects. “I appreciate you all continuing to pay attention and totally understand those who are skeptical of this working,” he acknowledged. “I hope it works and I genuinely think it will, but of course I could be wrong. Fingers crossed regardless, and we hope you will give it a try on relaunch.”
(Source: PCGAMER)
