Splitgate 2 Will ‘Go Back to Beta’ to Undergo a Massive Rework Amid More Layoffs and Splitgate 1 Shutdown

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On June 6, 2025, 1047 Games launched Splitgate 2. Now, little than 2 months later, the developer is astir to “unlaunch” it. It's besides taking Splitgate 1 offline, and laying disconnected 45 employees.

Today, 1047 revealed its plans to temporarily upwind down enactment connected the crippled it conscionable released truthful the workplace tin spell heads-down connected what it says volition beryllium a implicit overhaul of Splitgate 2. The crippled volition stay playable during this time, and volition inactive person its promised Chapter 3 update and immoderate bug fixes, but different than that, Splitgate 2 arsenic we cognize it is done.

…That is, until aboriginal 2026, erstwhile the workplace promises it volition instrumentality with “big, sweeping changes.”

While each this sounds beauteous dire, it mightiness not travel arsenic a astonishment to Splitgate 2 players. The crippled launched to middling reviews, was mired successful contention from the jump, and has since seen a steep drop-off successful players and plentifulness of disapproval and vexation from those who stuck around. At the clip this portion was archetypal drafted, a speedy look astatine the main leafage of the Splitgate subreddit shows astir thing but complaints astir the game, memes astir the game’s wide state, and assorted threads and links to articles astir the sinking subordinate counts. It doesn’t overgarment a beauteous picture.

When I spoke to CEO Ian Proulx past week, helium referenced 1 peculiar Reddit thread entitled “If you’ve stopped playing archer maine why” that is efficaciously a laundry database of subordinate complaints. He says helium and the 1047 squad work each reply and catalogued them, scrutinizing what the most-cited issues were. He admits that Splitgate 2, arsenic it launched, is “not a finished merchandise yet.”

“This doesn't consciousness similar a launched crippled arsenic overmuch arsenic we privation to unreal it was, and evidently we said it was. It feels similar a beta. There's bugs still. There's features that are missing that — evidently not each crippled has to person each diagnostic — but there's definite things that should beryllium successful a finished product. There's excessively galore bugs, and we're hitting the reset button.”

To beryllium clear, helium doesn’t deliberation Splitgate 2 is each bad. He’s astir arrogant of the gameplay, the gunplay and movement. But Proulx admits that determination are excessively galore different issues, method and structural, hindering players from enjoying the bully that’s there.

“I deliberation we've heard from the fans and from the gamers, they privation thing person to Splitgate 1,” helium says. “And truthful I deliberation for us, this feels similar a beta. It feels similar a beta to me, it doesn't consciousness similar a launch. And I deliberation we person to bash a spot of a reset to really perceive to the fans, to the gamers, and code the feedback, hole the bugs, instrumentality the features that should person been determination connected time one, but besides marque immoderate large changes that the Splitgate assemblage wants.”

What a Community Wants

What does the assemblage want, then? A lot, Proulx says, but helium boils it down to 3 large components. The first, helium says, is demonstrated by that Reddit thread and summed up arsenic “basic features.” Splitgate 2 needs a leaderboard. It needs amended progression. There are a batch of seemingly small elements missing that adhd up to the crippled feeling unfinished.

Second, helium says Splitgate 2 needs much portal walls and much opportunities for portals generally. 1047 already started adding much portal walls successful the game’s alpha, but didn’t spell acold enough.

And third, Proulx thinks they request to marque adjustments to crippled modes, though helium isn’t rather definite what conscionable yet.

“A large absorption of ours is getting person to conscionable that classical arena crippled mode experience. I don't cognize precisely what that's going to look like, but I deliberation we've done a batch of round-based modes, and we'll inactive person immoderate round-based modes, but players, they privation to play the crippled and sprout worldly and person a bully clip and possibly play the objective.”

I inquire Proulx if helium intends to bash thing to alteration the game’s existent monetization model. Splitgate 2 is free-to-play, but its in-game storefront has been heavy criticized connected a fig of fronts. Players person said its play walk is confusing and gates excessively overmuch contented down purchases, they’ve pointed retired that the “discount” listings astatine motorboat were deceptive arsenic to what items really cost, and highlighted that awkward real-money-to-currency exchanges marque it hard to recognize oregon accurately wage for conscionable what you want, and thing extra.

If the assemblage wants X, and that's what they want, it doesn't truly substance what I want.

Splitgate 2 volition stay free-to-play, Proulx says, and players volition support each the items they’ve already purchased. He’s not doing refunds, helium says. But erstwhile the crippled comes backmost successful 2026, helium does privation to “simplify” the monetization situation. When I inquire for specifics, Proulx says he’s inactive reasoning astir it and volition apt displacement based connected subordinate feedback. But he’s presently considering a much basal conflict pass, 1 you simply acquisition erstwhile for a three-month play oregon so, and person linear rewards from arsenic you play much of the game.

Proulx isn’t afloat definite close present of precisely what Splitgate 2 needs to be, and wants to fto the assemblage signifier that decision. He tells maine that, this time, 1047 volition bash regular playtests with the assemblage connected a abstracted subdivision of this crippled to cod feedback, akin to what the squad did with Splitgate 1. “If they hatred it, we tin say…great, we’re not going to bash that. Scrap it.”

I inquire him if helium has now, oregon ever has had, a beardown imaginativeness for Splitgate 2 and the benignant of crippled helium wants to make. Does helium deliberation it imaginable the assemblage could beryllium incorrect astir what’s champion for the game? Could his imaginativeness go compromised by subordinate requests?

“If the assemblage wants X, and that's what they want, it doesn't truly substance what I want,” Proulx says. “But adjacent what I want, I mean, I deliberation a batch of what the assemblage is asking for are things that I hold with. I deliberation definite decisions we made aboriginal on, I deliberation we astir got a small spot excessively technological astir it. Splitgate 1, determination was nary theory, determination was nary strategy. It was just, let's spell marque a amusive crippled due to the fact that it's cool…And I deliberation with Splitgate 2…we benignant of started with each these plan goals, which is good, but I deliberation we got a small spot excessively obsessive about, oh, let's bash this due to the fact that it checks that box, arsenic opposed to conscionable like, well, is it fun? I don't know. It doesn't truly substance what you theorize astir if it's not arsenic fun.”

Try, Try Again

But however did Splitgate 2 extremity up present successful the archetypal place?

According to Proulx, the squad was “too ambitious.” He says they tried to bash excessively overmuch with Splitgate 2, betwixt the game’s arena mode, conflict royale, and representation creator, and ended up lone getting each of those things done “80% alternatively of 1 oregon 2 things 100% of the mode there.”

He besides thinks different contented was that 1047 kept Splitgate 2 acold excessively secretive for excessively long, retired of a fearfulness of leaks. Proulx mentions Apex Legends, which “shadow-dropped” seemingly retired of obscurity to unthinkable occurrence with nary build-up astatine all, arsenic an indicator that specified a strategy tin enactment well. But that’s besides the other of what worked for Splitgate 1 – thing Proulx suggests helium should person learned from for the sequel.

Speaking of Splitgate 1, it’s not agelong for this world. As a portion of this caller doubling down connected improving Splitgate 2, the archetypal game’s servers volition beryllium unopen down successful astir a month. 1047 says it’s “exploring the anticipation of supporting offline oregon peer-to-peer matches,” and that it intends to see a “dedicated experience” successful Splitgate 2 that “delivers connected the committedness of the original.” But successful the short-term, Splitgate 1 volition beryllium nary more.

Per 1047, this determination was made due to the fact that it has outgo the workplace “hundreds of thousands of dollars implicit the past mates of years” to support Splitgate 1 online. It’s cutting costs successful different ways, too. Last month, the institution laid disconnected an chartless fig of individuals. With today’s announcement, 45 much unit volition beryllium fto go, 28% of the existent total. “We decidedly person to get our pain complaint down,” Proulx says erstwhile I inquire him astir the company’s fiscal situation. “There's nary uncertainty astir it. I'd accidental financially, thankfully, we are successful a presumption wherever we tin spend to bash thing similar [the unlaunch] and instrumentality our time, but it's going to instrumentality time. So we're figuring that out.”

The cost-cutting measures bash beg the question of some the veracity and, if the allegation is true, the contented of the institution allegedly spending implicit $400,000 successful influencer selling up of Splitgate 2’s launch. This was according to an investigation posted connected LinkedIn from Streamforge’s Nick Lombardi, utilizing “estimates based connected publically disposable information and marketplace rates from Streamforge’s algorithm.” The alleged influencer walk was reported connected by a fig of outlets, but Proulx responds erstwhile I inquire him astir it by saying that the nonfiction has “a batch of things that are factually incorrect.”

“There are decidedly things successful that nonfiction that are accurate,” helium says. “But yeah, I'd accidental it's, I don't know, 60% accurate. Do I deliberation that that strategy worked? I don't know. I mean, I deliberation that you person to bash a small spot of everything. I deliberation you person to person immoderate influencers, you person to person immoderate PR, you person to person immoderate paid advertising. I tin archer you definite ads ran much efficiently than others, but I deliberation it's each portion of the aforesaid equation.”

Proulx goes connected to accidental that influencer selling is tricky – it’s hard to accidental conscionable however galore users a crippled really acquires from a fixed influencer promoting a game, making it hard to way success.

“But I besides deliberation you can't bargain yourself a palmy launch,” helium adds. “Splitgate 1's fund was adjacent to nothing, and it inactive had a truly massively palmy launch, and that was due to the fact that we had built a batch of goodwill with the community… I deliberation influencers and ads volition adhd substance to the fire, and if you person a truly hype crippled with a passionate assemblage that feels similar they're being listened to, past that volition amplify. And if you don't, past it'll assistance a small bit.”

If this was a 10 retired of 10 game, radical would inactive beryllium playing it and happily spending wealth and grinding and telling their friends.

Proulx is fundamentally hoping to, successful 2026, instrumentality a 2nd ace astatine launching Splitgate 2. Aside from the issues with the crippled itself, its archetypal motorboat past period was marred by different controversies. It started erstwhile Proulx wore a chapeau that read, “Make FPS Great Again” onstage astatine the game’s Summer Game Fest reveal, a notation to U.S. President Donald Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hats. In a code onstage astatine the aforesaid event, Proulx remarked that he’s “tired of playing the aforesaid Call of Duty each year,” which resulted successful wide disapproval from some developers and Call of Duty fans. And then, upon launch, a $145 microtransaction bundle was soundly rebuked by gamers for its predatory similarities to the precise games Proulx and 1047 claimed to beryllium pushing backmost against with Splitgate 2.

Proulx has since apologized for each of the supra controversies, and actively revoked the high-priced microtransactions. But now, with a 2nd ace astatine releasing Splitgate 2 connected the horizon, I inquire Proulx if there’s thing helium intends to bash differently, and if helium thinks these issues meaningfully impacted the archetypal Splitgate 2 launch.

“Yes, I decidedly would've done things differently,” helium says. “I volition accidental I deliberation we would beryllium successful the presumption we're successful careless of immoderate of that stuff. Obviously, I don't deliberation that worldly helped us, and I don't program connected doing immoderate much stunts similar that, but I deliberation the world is if this was a 10 retired of 10 game, radical would inactive beryllium playing it and happily spending wealth and grinding and telling their friends, and that's my feeling. And truthful I deliberation the past is the past, and we've made a batch of mistakes. Not conscionable that we've made galore mistakes implicit the past 10 oregon nevertheless galore years it's been, and we support learning and we iterate and we improve, and that's what we're going to support doing.”

Once Chapter 3 is out, Splitgate 2 volition officially spell quiescent until aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth portion the squad rebuilds. That squad volition beryllium smaller than before, with a fig of friends and colleagues having mislaid their jobs done nary responsibility of their own. 1047 won’t beryllium spending wealth connected Splitgate 1 servers, but it besides apt won’t beryllium making overmuch disconnected microtransactions, making backing a much superior question. Some fans, inevitably, volition not instrumentality astir to spot if Splitgate 2 is simply a comeback story. Others stay permanently enactment disconnected by the game’s motorboat controversies. It’s not precisely a cheery play for 1047 Games, but successful Proulx’s eyes, the workplace has been done worse. “We had overmuch darker days” during Splitgate 1 development, helium says. “A batch of astir quitting, a batch of tears… So it's a pugnacious roadworthy ahead. Of people it is, right? This is not an casual industry.”

But he’s adamant that, regardless, helium isn’t giving up connected Splitgate.

“It's brutal, but we're not going away. We're not quitting. We perfectly emotion this. We emotion each azygous portion astir it, the bully and the bad. And we've been present earlier and we've travel retired the different end, and we're going to conscionable support doing what we tin to enactment alive.”

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].

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