Splitgate is a classic case of a smaller indie game that was around for plenty of time before it finally exploded in popularity. The Halo-meets-Portal arena shooter by 1047 Games suddenly became a sensation earlier this year, and though still in its beta, it has accumulated over10 million players already.
1047 Games recently received 100 million in funding, and in an update published on the game’s official website, the developers spoke about what their plans for the game are, now that they have a significant amount of funding to expand into proper AAA development and turn Splitgate into a much larger, more full-featured game.
Recently, 1047 Games jokingly talked about adding a map editor to Splitgate before Halo Infinite receives its Forge mode, and that is something that they elaborate on in the update. “A map editor feature would still be a massive undertaking and a huge addition to Splitgate,” the developer wrote. “As a player myself, I would love the possibility of disabling certain portal pads and adding new pads that totally change the way maps get played. Pantheon, but the whole ground is one giant portal surface. Stadium, but you add an entirely new upper level. It’s not just portal pads that could be added, of course. You could add walls, bridges, props, weapons, and new spawn points! I would wager that the game mode Contamination would be a lot more fun with custom maps! The number of possibilities is exciting with a feature like that.”
Meanwhile, though Splitgate is currently a multiplayer-only title, 1047 Games has also given at least some thought to adding a single player campaign to the game- though if that does happen, it’ll have a unique twist to it in keeping with the game’s central premise.
“A single player experience is also on the table,” the developer writes. “Sure, this could be a Halo-style single player campaign, but what else could we do? It’s no secret that the arena combat known as “Splitgate” is treated like a sport in the game’s universe. One thing we could do with that idea is something like “franchise mode,” like in traditional sports games. With an overhaul of our bot AI, the game could introduce a large roster of AI Players who can be recruited to play on a team with you. Each AI player has a set of stat ratings like aim, portal movement, and awareness. You and your team would then progress through a sports season and play against other AI teams and eventually compete for the championship. It wouldn’t have to stop with single player either, maybe you could pit your recruited team against the team of another real player! This is another idea with endless possibilities.”
Of course, the developer also points out that none of these ideas are set in stone and, for now, are merely hypotheticals. Of course, the primary focus for 1047 Games for now is going to be expanding the studio by bringing in more people, adding more multiplayer content, and adopting a model that sees updates and fixes releasing on a much more regular basis.
Currently, Splitgate is only available on PC, though 1047 Games does eventually want to bring the game to other platforms, including the Nintendo Switch.
