In the video, Proulx said that “a small section of the team” has been split off to work on the new project, which has been described as a “movement shooter”. Among the list of inspirations behind this new titles are Titanfall and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, which would indicate that 1047 Games’ next title will have quite a bit of emphasis on parkour-styled movement paired with fast-paced shooter action.

“Obviously, Splitgate is the focus, but there is one more thing I want to add,” Proulx explained. “This is actually unrelated to Splitgate, and more just 1047 news. We have always had the dream to be a multi-game studio. Obviously, I love Splitgate, it’s genuinely my favourite game of all time, and we’re not shy about where we took inspiration there, with Halo and Portal being two of my all-time favourites.”

“But there’s other games and other dream games that we love. So, I’m not here to talk too much about that today, but I just want to give the community a heads up. We’ve had a small section of the team start working on a new game in addition to Splitgate. I’m not here to share too much about that, but what I will say is that it is a movement shooter, and if you’re a fan of games like Titanfall, or [Call of Duty] Black Ops 3, we would love to hear from you. We’re going to take sign-ups below so that we can start playtesting soon.”

1047 Games has seen quite a bit of trouble since it released the original Splitgate back in 2019 as an Early Access title. The initial success at the time led the studio to eventually announce in 2021 that the title would remain in beta indefinitely, and work would then begin on a sequel. Splitgate 2 would come out in 2025, and saw a generally mixed reception.

This would eventually lead to Proulx announcing that the studio was taking Splitgate 2 “back to beta” and introducing major overhauls to the title. He admitted at the time that the shooter was “not a finished product yet”.

The title would return in the form of Splitgate: Arena Reloaded back in December, bringing with it a returning Classic Arena mode, along with new weapons and maps. However, the title never quite reached the same number of players that Splitgate 2 saw at its peak. The studio would offer a statement in response to this, noting that “Steam Charts don’t measure fun.”

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

In response to this, the studio has posted a statement on social media, noting that “Steam Charts don’t measure fun.” 1047 Games went on to talk about how hard it has been working on rebuilding Splitgate “from the ground up” over the last six months, and how community feedback is helping with the development of upcoming content like Arena Royale.

“[Steam Charts] show one number, on one platform, at one given moment,” wrote the studio. “They don’t show the full picture or what it feels like to actually play, and they definitely don’t capture the community that’s actively helping shape what Arena Reloaded is becoming (including upcoming content like Arena Royale).”

“Over the past six months, we rebuilt Splitgate from the ground up because we believe in the game, our team, and our community. The 1047 team remains committed to delivering the best version of Splitgate possible.”

The studio went on to thank its community for its feedback and active participation in Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. Along with this, it also welcomed those who haven’t yet tried the multiplayer shooter.

“To our amazing community: thank you. Your feedback and passion have helped make Arena Reloaded better every day,” wrote the studio. “And to everyone who hasn’t played yet: Arena Reloaded is free, the gameplay’s the best it’s ever been, and we’d love for you to jump in and form your own opinion. A lot of passionate people worked very hard on it.”

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded launched just last month, and as we recorded in our coverage, it had managed to get less than 10 percent of the peak concurrent player count Splitgate 2 got. The relaunch came in light of Splitgate 2 seeing poor reception, which led 1047 Games to announce that it would be completely reworked, and would spend the rest of the year going “back to beta”.

Acknowledging the feedback 1047 Games had gotten from Splitgate 2 players, studio CEO Ian Proulx spoke about how it was a less-than-ideal launch, and how the game still felt like a beta.

“This doesn’t feel like a launched game as much as we want to pretend it was, and obviously we said it was,” he said. “It feels like a beta. There’s bugs still. There’s features that are missing that — obviously not every game has to have every feature — but there’s certain things that should be in a finished product. There’s too many bugs, and we’re hitting the reset button.”

The studio’s plans to rework Splitgate 2 involved going back to the “classic arena game mode experience” that made the original Splitgate a hit. Along with this, the studio was also revisiting “basic features” as described by the community, including leaderboards, improved progression, and more surfaces where portals could be opened.

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is available for free on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

On Steam, the response has been a notable improvement over Splitgate 2’s recent months, peaking at 2,297 concurrent players on release. Sadly, it’s a ways off from the former’s launch, which hit 25,785 players. While the overall rating remains “Mixed,” at least the recent reviews are “Mostly Positive” with 76 percent of 540 users recommending it.

Of course, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is also available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PS4, so perhaps the console numbers will help make up the disparity.

Other notable features in the relaunch include the return of pickups (such as Legendary Weapons and power-ups), Classic Arena with each player having the same starting loadout, an overhauled progression system, five new maps and much more. There’s also a new Power Weapon – the Railgun – and three new Light Machine Guns – the Velocity, Barrage and Strata. Head here for more details.

The biggest hook is that there are no longer factions or abilities. Players can customize their loadouts without restrictions or opt for the same playing field. Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, Gun Game and Shotty Snipers will be included alongside six revamped arenas and five new additions.

There are also three new primary weapons, one new Power weapon, an overhauled Ranked system, and revamped progression that promises rewards “with every match.” This is on top of the dozens of other new features fans can look forward to.

Design director Josh Watson said in a press release that, “Splitgate has always been a love letter to the arena shooters we grew up playing. We’ve been hard at work rebuilding the game from the ground up, taking the best of Splitgate 1 and Splitgate 2, removing what didn’t work, and refining what did.” Studio CEO Ian Proulx also credited the community for this approach as they “led us back to the arena.”

Whether it will rekindle interest in the series remains to be seen, but it is fascinating to see a developer remove long-in-development features like battle royale and whatnot in a bid to return to basics. To learn more about Reloaded’s development, a “mini-documentary” will be released on December 9th, so stay tuned for details on that.

The end of this beta run for Splitgate 2 also means that the Beta Season and the active Battle Passes in the game will be ending. Players who took part in the beta will also be losing their seasonal rank progress.

Aside from the fact that Splitgate 2 is relaunching in December, 1047 Games hasn’t really revealed any details about what this new release will look like. The studio will have obviously made quite a few changes after taking player feedback into account ever since it first announced the rework for the multiplayer shooter back in July.

When this rework was first announced, the developer had noted it would be taking player feedback into account for the relaunch of Splitgate 2. However, the studio ensured that the title would remain available to players in its current state, with all of the content releases that were planned also getting release, including the at-the-time upcoming Chapter 3 update. However, the studio had noted that the relaunch of Splitgate 2 would be happening some time in 2026.

“This doesn’t feel like a launched game as much as we want to pretend it was, and obviously we said it was,” said 1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx at the time. “It feels like a beta. There’s bugs still. There’s features that are missing that — obviously not every game has to have every feature — but there’s certain things that should be in a finished product. There’s too many bugs, and we’re hitting the reset button.”

The core focus of the reworks for Splitgate 2 would revolve around three things: “basic features” like leaderboards and improved progression, more walls where portals can be opened up in a match, and adjustments to game modes. While the first two might be more obvious, Proulx wasn’t quite sure about what to make of the last point.

“A big focus of ours is getting closer to just that classic arena game mode experience,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, but I think we’ve done a lot of round-based modes, and we’ll still have some round-based modes, but players, they want to play the game and shoot stuff and have a good time and maybe play the objective.”

The announcement that Splitgate 2 would be going back in to development to get a relaunch came just a day after the studio had announced a round of lay-offs. While it hadn’t confirmed an exact number of employees that would be affected, the announcement noted that it was “a small group” of “valued” team members.

Splitgate 2 was launched on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The upcoming relaunch will be coming to PC, and will likely also target the same console platforms as its initial release. For more details about the game from when it first came out, check out our review.

While it works on the overhaul, the studio has also stated that it will continue to keep Splitgate 2 playable and will also release the already-planned content for it, including the upcoming Chapter 3 update. Along with this, the game will continue to get some bug fixes. Aside from this, however, 1047 Games is considering Splitgate 2 to be “done” for the time being, until 2026, when the title is slated to return with “big, sweeping changes”.

Speaking to IGN, CEO Ian Proulx said that the studio had taken quite a bit of feedback from a Reddit thread where it was asking players why they had stopped playing Splitgate 2. In the interview, Proulx also admitted that Splitgate 2 is “not a finished product yet.”

“This doesn’t feel like a launched game as much as we want to pretend it was, and obviously we said it was,” he said. “It feels like a beta. There’s bugs still. There’s features that are missing that — obviously not every game has to have every feature — but there’s certain things that should be in a finished product. There’s too many bugs, and we’re hitting the reset button.”

When it comes to how the studio plans to rework Splitgate 2, Proulx said that it comes down to three main things: “basic features” as described by the community like leaderboards and improved progression, more walls where portals can be opened in the course of a regular match, and adjustment to game modes. Proulx doesn’t quite seem sure about that last component, however.

“A big focus of ours is getting closer to just that classic arena game mode experience,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like, but I think we’ve done a lot of round-based modes, and we’ll still have some round-based modes, but players, they want to play the game and shoot stuff and have a good time and maybe play the objective.”

While the whole game is getting reworked, Proulx has also confirmed that Splitgate 2 will continue to be a free-to-play game, and that players will not lose out on any of the things they already bought through the in-game store. While he has also said that the studio wants to “simplify” the in-game monetisation, he has also confirmed that refunds will not be given.

As part of its efforts to rework Splitgate 2, 1047 Games has also confirmed that servers for the original Splitgate will be shutting down. However, leading up to the servers shutting down in around a month, the studio has also said that it is “exploring the possibility of supporting offline or peer-to-peer matches”.

For more details about Splitgate 2, check out our review, Also check out our own interview with the developers of the game.

The game is out now. What are your thoughts on player impressions so far?

It’s been quite positive from the people who have played it! We are seeing a lot of players enjoying how much variety there is with arena, Splitgate: Battle Royale and The Lab, and of course we are seeing a lot of love for the gunplay and movement, which are our bread and butter.

Are there any specific areas where you are listening to player feedback and are looking to improve?

Honestly everything. Community feedback is what drives us and helps us make the game better! And we read everything. I guess if there’s one area I am looking specifically for feedback on though, it’s the battle royale, just because that’s newer so we haven’t had as much time to iterate on it and learn from our players over the years.

"Community feedback is what drives us and helps us make the game better!"

While Splitgate 2 obviously has some big features differentiating it from its predecessor, what are some of the smaller things that do so that might not be too obvious?

One thing I think players might not notice unless they go back to Splitgate 1 and compare is we now have client side portals! This means when you spawn your portal in Splitgate 2, it spawns instantly instead of being dependent on your ping. It honestly makes a huge difference and makes portalling feel so much better!

What are the plans for Splitgate 2 in terms of post-launch content?

It really depends on community feedback. We are structured in a way where we can address community feedback and requests quickly while also having a lot of content planned ahead like maps, modes, and weapons. Also, a few more big surprises too of course 🙂

Some players think that the pacing in battle royale is a tad chaotic. Are you addressing that?

Our intention has always been to be fast. We want it to be more of an arena shooter BR hybrid. But we have also seen some frustration about seeing enemies through walls every time you kill an enemy, so we are considering removing that feature in favor of only showing enemies on radar when you kill someone. We think that will tone down the chaos while preserving the speed.

"Our intention has always been to be fast. We want it to be more of an arena shooter BR hybrid."

Will the battle royale mode get more maps down the line?

Of course! The nice thing about having multiple worlds connected through massive portals is that it allows us to swap out worlds as we go.

Are there any plans to introduce new classes down the road?

Probably not, but it depends on what the community wants. We have built the game with 3 classes in mind, but I do have some cool ideas for more factions. But I think the game is probably better having just three.

Will we see The Lab getting expanded with more options?

Of course! We have built our team to support every part of the game. So this means we have devs who are dedicated to The Lab, in addition to devs focused on Arena and the Battle Royale. The Lab is hugely important to us and we plan to keep adding to it and iterating on it, just as we will with everything in the game. This includes new features, as well as just more content.

How much does having larger maps than Splitgate affect the balance in terms of weapon choice and the efficacy of portals in Splitgate 2?

Not much. We have built the maps to work with our gunplay and our sandbox, not the other way around. It’s definitely a tricky but fun design challenge making large maps work with portals and hitscan weapons though! It’s a big reason our battle royale map is actually 5 medium sized maps connected through portals, instead of just 1 large island.

"We have built the maps to work with our gunplay and our sandbox, not the other way around."

What resolution and fps does the game run on PS5 Pro, PS5, Xbox Series S and X?

They each can run up to 4k or up to 120fps. Xbox Series S is 1080p scaled up to 1440p.

When it comes to the console versions, will there be enhancements exclusive to the PS5 Pro?

It’s something I would like to take more advantage of in the future. For now the big advantage is just having higher quality graphics, resolution, and framerate.

“We’re still perfecting the Splitgate 2 gameplay experience in response to community feedback, and we are redirecting resources to build the best game for our players. We are sad to see our teammates go, and we are actively working to help them secure new opportunities.”

Studio co-founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian will also not be taking salaries as “we lock in to deliver the next phase of the project.” Splitgate 2 launched on June 6th at the Summer Game Fest showcase alongside Splitgate: Battle Royale, the “major” surprise that the studio extensively hyped up.

However, problems for the free-to-play competitive shooter began before that. When its open beta went live, fans criticized the changes to portal use, the addition of Factions and abilities, and the absurd monetization (which included $80 bundles). The latter has been curtailed somewhat, but its rating on Steam is “Mixed”, with only 61 percent of the currently 16,410 user reviews recommending it.

Regardless of recent layoffs, 1047 Games is “continuing to work hard to deliver more things we know you’ll love. We are committed to building this game for the long haul.” Thus far, it’s confirmed the addition of new weapons, modes, maps, events and skins in the future.

Splitgate 2 is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. You can read our thoughts on the game (we gave it a seven out of ten) here.

First, it’s worth going over how Splitgate 2 has evolved (or devolved depending on preferences) its PvP portal formula. The simple arcade-style arena matches of the original have been overhauled with character classes. Teamwork and strategy take precedence here over quick reflexes. There’s still some compact arena matches outside the new battle royale mode, but you can tell the emphasis on wide expansive maps was prioritized.

In particular, the strategic use of portals has been relegated to the backburner from the first game, at least a bit. Because maps tend toward the larger more open style, there’s less intricate hallways and walls to stick portals to and more running around in the open. Splitgate 2 introduces a new slide to its movement helping accommodate the emphasis on large maps. To the game’s credit, running and sliding feels super smooth and crisp. The movement in general is about as tight and responsive as the first game. Guns feel just as satisfying to shoot while looking and sounding better than they did before thanks to the upgrade in engine tech. And I didn’t notice too many frame drops or glitches during my matches, which is rather impressive considering it just launched. The netcode is pretty solid so far too; I haven’t been getting randomly booted from matches or disconnected outside of the times my internet went to crap.

"Running and sliding feels super smooth and crisp."

Still, even if the game technically controls better than the first, I prefer the aesthetics of Splitgate 1 over the sequel. Along with the the less intricate level design, the arena maps in Splitgate 2 just feel like cut portions of the game’s large maps. There’s a good mix of indoor and outdoor areas, but they feel more sterile this time around, almost like they were cut from an ultra-colorful 3D printer, which is a bit of a shift from the cool Halo-inspired locations of the first game. The total lack of music during matches also contributes to that feeling of sterility. I didn’t feel bothered by a lack of match music in Halo, but again, those games have striking environmental design that makes up for it. Splitgate 2 could use some contextual musical stingers within key events – anything to add some ambience and excitement to the matches.

Helping to make up for the underwhelming maps is a remastered version of the fan favorite Stadium from the original game and the return of The Lab, which has been the flexible map creator since the first Splitgate. So even if you’re not having fun with the ‘official’ maps, there’s probably something zany and fun to find within the user-generated maps. I haven’t delved too deep into The Lab myself, but it’s very apparent that it’s not a drastic overhaul from the first game’s map creator. There’s a few new biomes and a snap-to-surface feature, but not many major additions yet. Still, the updated Unreal Engine 5 graphics enable users to create some beautiful maps, and the tools from the original are all here to allow for some crazy and fun creations.

One of the most notable things about The Lab is the ability to create custom modes and deeply customized match types. Players have made everything from collectathons to portal races and the possibilities will only increase as Splitgate 2 gets updated over the years. That brings me to the modes within Splitgate 2, well, aside from user-generated ones anyway. Arena Quickplay is your standard map sized team mode, while Onslaught introduces larger maps accommodating 24 players. Takedown is one of the more interesting modes returning from the first game. It’s a twist on traditional deathmatch that speeds up or slows down team respawns depending on the frequency of team kills and deaths. Speaking of Deathmatch, variations of that classic mode return. It’s worth noting that many of the game’s modes are locked until you reach 50k experience, which takes about an hour or so of online matches depending on skill level.

That brings me to the progression and customization. Splitgate 2 introduces Factions, which are basically classes that have distinct abilities and roles, a first for the series. There are three Factions. Aeros is a quick-footed portal expert who functions as a jack of all trades. Meridian is the support class who can see through walls using their active ability. And Sabrask fulfills the tanky offensive class that gets up close and personal with a Smart Wall ability to temporarily sheild attacks. You level up each of these Factions independently and unlock various weapons and skins for them through experience gain. Every class has a loadout consisting of a heavy weapon with two attachment slots (which range from scopes to accuracy boosts), a light weapon with one attachment, an equipment slot (think grenades and mines), and two perks. New loadout options get unlocked as you gain experience with the class.

In gameplay terms, the three classes are balanced rather well, accommodating team-based play wonderfully with their distinct active and passive abilities and stats. While I am partial to the Sabrask tank class, I didn’t feel that any of them were particularly overpowered or underwhelming.

"Splitgate 2 introduces Factions, which are basically classes that have distinct abilities and roles, a first for the series."

Splitgate 2 has the typical battle pass template we’ve seen dozens of times from other live service games. Purchasing a season (or chapter as it’s called here) of the battle pass grants access to a suite of Faction skins, weapon skins, taunts, banners, and you guessed it, actual weapons and equipment. Season 1 features a legendary grade burst rifle for your Aeros character, and all for the low price of just 500 Splitcoins! That’s $4.99 to you and me. While the usable weapons don’t clog the battle pass compared to similar games, there are a couple featured in each season. You can unlock these weapons, minus the unique skins, through normal progression, but can fast-track them through battle pass.

But let’s talk about the big addition to this game: battle royale. Matches begin by randomly queuing players into 15 four-player teams. That’s right, there’s no team options whatsoever, and even better, the player who decides where to drop the party is chosen by what amounts to a coin toss. I’ve had instances where the leader chose to drop out of bounds, leading to a full squad death. It’s also common to be grouped with new players who ignore the shrinking circle. I can’t blame them though, considering how quick the zones collapse.

Matches typically take around 10 minutes, which is rather short for a battle royale. It just doesn’t lend enough time to get familiar with a hideout and set up strategic perimeters. It’s a shame zones boot you out so soon because the loot distribution is well balanced, with boxes full of weapons and equipment in the heart of bases encouraging perimeter defense around such areas. With matches progressing at such a rapid pace, strategy greatly suffers and things get sloppy quick. You just don’t have enough time to strategize around a base before the zone collapses.

Moving from one zone to another is also something of a pain due to the meta greatly favoring snipers. Since zones are so spread out, snipers have a great long-range advantage. There’s only so much a close-range build can do when they’re forced out of their base and into the open-air environment by the encroaching ring. Abilities help this disadvantage a bit, but not enough. For example, the tanky Sabrask has a deployable shield ability which can stop sniper shots for a limited time. But that actively works against the collapsing circle since you need to be constantly on the move. The way BR mode is paced at the moment heavily favors long-range play, which just isn’t balanced well in terms of the meta.

"The large environments limit how you use portals since there’s less interior space and more open air locations."

Another disappointment players are likely to have is how the portal system is tweaked in battle royale. Unlike in other modes, you can’t just freely spam portals. Portal use has a limited charge, which can be upgraded as you acquire loot around the map. The large environments limit how you use portals since there’s less interior space and more open air locations, which I noted earlier as not liking as much. Portals are Splitgate’s unique defined feature, so limiting and nerfing their usage dilutes the game’s gimmick.  But there are some positives with the new mode. I like how quick respawning is. Teammates are compelled to stick close to each other due to the opportunity to revive fallen comrades, which helps keeps squads more helpful and attentive than they otherwise would be.

I can see Splitgate 2 improving on its launch pain points later down the line. Like the first game, its intriguing portal system adds a ton of strategy and a high skill ceiling, even if portals are slightly less pivotal this time around. The new class system injects fresh team-based synergy to the forefront, and the skills are pretty useful, though there’s so few of them at the moment. My least favorite mode is battle royale, which is a disappointment considering it’s the new big thing about the game. Hopefully, the pacing can be improved with updates down the line because all the ingredients are there to make this a dynamic and fun game. Splitgate 2 comes recommended if you’re into PvP arena shooters or enjoyed the first game, but it doesn’t stand above its competitors in notable ways.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

The premise sees 15 teams of four players dropping onto the map and fighting for supremacy. You’ll start with a pistol and can obtain new weapons and armor from chests, airdrops or upon slaying enemy players. Alternatively, there are Credits to purchase Power Weapons and upgrades (including buffs to armor and your Portal Gun). The twist is that the map, Split Worlds, is comprised of five biomes accessed by World Portals, including a volcano, desert, and, of all things, floating asteroids.

Random events can also occur, including one that disables all portals. You can revive fallen allies, but if the team is wiped, it’s game over. Time will tell how Splitgate: Battle Royale resonates with players, especially in a market dominated by Fortnite, Apex Legends, and more. Stay tuned for more updates, and check out the roadmap for Splitgate 2 here.