Hold Up, Didn't We Just Launch This? Splitgate 2 Hits the Reset Button (and Why That's Wild)
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
1047 Games is doing the unheard-of: 'unlaunching' *Splitgate 2* less than two months after its release for a complete overhaul, while also shutting down *Splitgate 1* and laying off staff, all in a dramatic bid to rebuild the game based on direct community feedback for a 2026 relaunch.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're messing with a new spell, and it goes a bit... sideways? Maybe you accidentally turn your familiar into a teacup, or summon a portal to the fridge instead of the astral plane? Well, 1047 Games just pulled off a version of that, but with an entire game. Less than two months after launching *Splitgate 2*, they're essentially hitting the big red 'unlaunch' button.
Fair dinkum, you can't make this stuff up. Announced on June 6, 2025, *Splitgate 2* is now set to undergo a massive, foundational rework that'll see it effectively go 'back to beta' until early 2026. And if that wasn't enough to make you spit out your tea, they're also taking the original *Splitgate 1* offline and, sadly, letting go of 45 folks from the team – 28% of their current staff, after some earlier layoffs. Bloody hell, that's a tough break.
Now, if you've been anywhere near the digital water cooler, this probably won't be a massive shocker. *Splitgate 2*'s launch was... well, 'middling' is a polite way of putting it. It landed with a bit of a thud, tangled up in controversies from the get-go, and saw player counts vanish quicker than my motivation on a Monday morning. A quick peek at the *Splitgate* subreddit, bless its heart, paints a picture so bleak you'd think it was drawn by a goth in a rainstorm. It's basically a community-sourced laundry list of what *isn't* working, spiced with a healthy dose of 'this game is a meme' humour.
I reckon 1047 CEO Ian Proulx isn't exactly surprised either. He's been reading those Reddit threads, mate, specifically one titled 'If you’ve stopped playing tell me why'. Talk about facing the music! He openly admits *Splitgate 2*, as it currently stands, is 'not a finished product yet.' Says it feels like a beta. And, honestly, if the CEO is saying it, you know it's probably true. Too many bugs, too many missing bits that, let's be fair, should be standard in a 'launched' product. He's proud of the core gunplay and movement – and fair play, that portal-flipping goodness is still pretty unique – but everything else? It's like having a supercar with square wheels. Bits just don't fit. As he put it, they're 'hitting the reset button.'
So, what's a dev to do when their shiny new thing feels more like a proof-of-concept? Listen to the players, apparently. Proulx says the community wants something 'closer to Splitgate 1'. And what does that entail? He boils it down to three biggies, straight from the digital horse's mouth:
* **Basic Features, Please:** Leaderboards, better progression systems. All those 'little elements' that make a game feel, you know, *complete*. The current version is missing a lot of seemingly small things that add up to a feeling of being unfinished. * **More Portals, More Fun:** Seriously, this is *Splitgate*! Players want more portal walls, more opportunities for those glorious, head-spinning flanking manoeuvres. The alpha started it, but clearly, it wasn't enough. * **Arena Mode Love:** Less round-based faffing about, more classic arena chaos. Proulx admitted they've focused too much on round-based modes. Players just want to 'play the game and shoot stuff and have a good time and maybe play the objective.' Simple pleasures, eh?
And then there's the money stuff. *Splitgate 2* is free-to-play, which is grand, but its in-game store has been a bit of a... digital minefield. Players have ripped into confusing season passes, 'discounts' that weren't really, and currency exchanges that feel designed to leave you with awkward leftovers in your wallet. Proulx says they'll simplify it when the game re-emerges in 2026, thinking about a more straightforward battle pass – one you buy once for a few months and get linear rewards. He's not doing refunds on purchased items, which is a bit of a bummer, but at least he's acknowledging the mess. Here's hoping 'simplify' doesn't mean 'still confusing, but now with fewer steps'. A healthy dose of skepticism is required here until we see the goods, wouldn't you say? He's pretty clear: 'If the community wants X, and that's what they want, it doesn't really matter what I want.' Which, honestly, is a refreshing stance, even if it took a whole 'unlaunch' to get there.
But how did they get into this pickle in the first place? Proulx admits they were 'too ambitious', trying to do too many things – arena mode, battle royale, map creator – and ending up with none of them finished to 100%. Like trying to learn three new languages at once and only managing to order a coffee in all of them. He also reckons they kept things too secret for too long, fearing leaks. Funny that, considering *Splitgate 1* blew up with basically zero budget and a boatload of community goodwill through open development. *Apex Legends* might have pulled off a successful 'shadow drop,' but it sounds like 1047 forgot their own history lesson here. Sometimes, that open, community-first approach is the real magic.
Speaking of history lessons, let's not forget the initial launch controversies. The infamous 'Make FPS Great Again' hat at Summer Game Fest, the slightly uncalled-for *Call of Duty* digs, and that eye-watering $145 microtransaction bundle that felt like a slap in the face to anyone tired of predatory monetisation. Proulx has apologised and pulled the microtransactions, which is a good sign. He reckons these blunders didn't *really* impact the game's performance, saying if it was a '10 out of 10 game,' people would still be playing. A noble sentiment, perhaps, but one might wonder if those missteps didn't, at the very least, scuff the initial 'goodwill' that he himself said was crucial for *Splitgate 1*'s success. It's tough to buy yourself a successful launch, he noted, which is a fair point, especially given alleged reports of over $400,000 spent on influencer marketing that, well, didn't quite seem to ignite the fire this time around. As Proulx himself said, influencers 'add fuel to the fire,' but you need the fire first.
So, *Splitgate 1*'s servers are going dark in about a month – a sad farewell to the game that started it all, apparently costing 'hundreds of thousands of dollars' to keep alive. And with those recent layoffs, it's clear 1047 Games is cutting costs to batten down the hatches. Proulx admits they 'definitely have to get our burn rate down.' It's a brutal industry, he says, and he's not wrong. But he's adamant they're not quitting. They've been through worse during *Splitgate 1*'s early days, apparently. The plan is a grand do-over for *Splitgate 2* in early 2026, with a smaller team, a clearer focus, and, hopefully, a much tighter embrace of player feedback through dedicated playtests. Will some players stick around? Will others be permanently put off? Probably both. But here's to hoping that this time, 1047 can truly listen to the digital tea leaves and conjure up the game the community genuinely wants. It's a curious situation, mate, and one I'll be watching closely.
This analysis is based on reporting by Rebekah Valentine for IGN South Africa. You can find the original article here
Tags: Gaming Industry, Game Development, Player Feedback, Free-to-Play, Arena Shooter
Original article: IGN South Africa