Splitgate 2 relaunched on December 17, 2025, with a new name, a complete overhaul, and renewed promises that this time would be different. The game formerly known as Splitgate 2 returned as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded after six months of reworking everything from the ground up. It stripped out the controversial hero shooter mechanics, went back to arena shooter basics, and tried to recapture what made the original special. And it completely flopped. Again.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
When Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025, it peaked at over 25,000 concurrent players on Steam. Not spectacular by any means, but respectable for a free-to-play arena shooter. The December relaunch as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded couldn’t even manage 10 percent of that number. The game is struggling to attract players despite eliminating the exact features people complained about during the disastrous initial launch.
This latest failure comes after 1047 Games spent six months completely rebuilding the game. They removed factions and character abilities, simplified monetization, added five new maps while reworking six existing ones, introduced new weapons, overhauled the progression system, and basically gutted everything that made Splitgate 2 different from the original. The community told them exactly what they wanted. 1047 delivered. And nobody showed up.
A Timeline of Disaster
The Splitgate saga has been one continuous train wreck since June 2025. CEO Ian Proulx showed up at Summer Game Fest wearing a hat that said “Make FPS Great Again,” immediately politicizing the game and alienating huge chunks of the potential player base. The game launched with an $80 cosmetic bundle that sparked outrage until the price was slashed to $40. Basic features like ranked mode and leaderboards were missing. The gameplay itself felt unfinished, trying to do too much with arena modes, battle royale, and a map creator but executing none of them well.
By July, less than two months after launch, 1047 Games made the unprecedented decision to “unlaunch” the game. They reverted Splitgate 2 to beta status, laid off 45 employees representing 28 percent of their workforce, and shut down the original Splitgate servers to cut costs. CEO Ian Proulx admitted they “rushed certain features, made some boneheaded mistakes,” and were “too ambitious.” The plan was to spend the rest of 2025 fixing everything and relaunch in early 2026.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 6, 2025 | Splitgate 2 launches with controversial SGF appearance |
| June 2025 | Peak of 25,785 concurrent players on Steam |
| July 2025 | Game “unlaunched,” reverted to beta, 45 staff laid off |
| August 2025 | Original Splitgate servers shut down to cut costs |
| December 4, 2025 | Relaunch announced as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded |
| December 17, 2025 | Arena Reloaded launches, fails to attract players |
| January 2026 | Player count remains under 10% of original launch |
What Went Wrong This Time
The December relaunch came with everything the community asked for. No factions. No abilities. Just classic arena shooter gameplay with portals. Customizable loadouts or even starts. Revamped progression that rewards every match. Simplified battle pass. Lower store prices. A return to the “Halo meets Portal” formula that made the original Splitgate blow up in 2021 with six-figure concurrent player counts.
So why did it fail? Trust. 1047 Games burned through all of it during the chaotic June launch and subsequent unlaunch. The Summer Game Fest hat controversy, the predatory pricing, the missing features, the layoffs, shutting down the original game’s servers – each incident chipped away at the goodwill the studio had built. By December, when they finally delivered the game people wanted, nobody believed it would last.
The $100 Million Question
Here’s what makes this disaster especially painful. In September 2021, riding the success of the original Splitgate, 1047 Games raised $100 million in funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. That money was supposed to transform a small indie studio into a powerhouse capable of competing with established shooters. Instead, it funded one of the most spectacular fumbles in recent gaming history.
The original Splitgate was a scrappy underdog success story. A small team made a fun game that combined familiar mechanics in novel ways, and players loved it. Splitgate 2 was supposed to be the polished, well-funded sequel that fixed the technical issues plaguing the first game’s backend. Instead, it became a cautionary tale about studios losing sight of what made them special in the pursuit of trends and monetization.
Why Arena Shooters Keep Dying
Splitgate’s collapse is part of a broader pattern. Classic arena shooters like Quake, Unreal Tournament, and even Halo have struggled to maintain relevance in the modern gaming landscape. The genre’s skill ceiling is incredibly high, which creates rewarding gameplay for dedicated players but brutal experiences for newcomers. Battle royales and hero shooters offer more forgiving onboarding and broader appeal.
1047 Games initially tried to address this by adding hero shooter elements to Splitgate 2 – factions with unique abilities that lowered the skill floor. The hardcore arena shooter fans hated it. So they removed those features for Arena Reloaded, returning to pure skill-based gameplay. Now casual players have no reason to stick around when they get demolished by portal-jumping veterans. It’s a no-win situation, and Splitgate is caught in the middle.
What Happens Now
1047 Games hasn’t publicly addressed the failed relaunch yet, and it’s hard to imagine what their next move could be. They’ve already unlaunched once, laid off significant staff, shut down the original game’s servers, and completely overhauled the sequel based on community feedback. The December relaunch was supposed to be their redemption arc, proof that they learned from their mistakes and could deliver what players wanted.
The reality is that sometimes you only get one shot. The original Splitgate succeeded because it arrived at the perfect moment – during COVID lockdowns when people were hungry for new multiplayer experiences, with a unique hook that generated buzz, and grassroots word-of-mouth that felt authentic. Trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle with $100 million in investor funding, aggressive monetization plans, and a CEO wearing controversial political slogans was never going to work.
FAQs
What happened to Splitgate 2?
Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 to poor reception, was “unlaunched” in July, underwent massive changes, and relaunched as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded on December 17, 2025. The relaunch failed to attract even 10 percent of the original launch player count.
Why did Splitgate 2 fail the first time?
The June launch suffered from controversial marketing (the “Make FPS Great Again” hat), an $80 cosmetic bundle, missing features like ranked mode, unfinished gameplay trying to do too much with arena, battle royale, and map creation, and general lack of polish.
What changed in Splitgate: Arena Reloaded?
Arena Reloaded removed factions and character abilities, returned to classic arena shooter gameplay, added five new maps, introduced new weapons, completely overhauled progression and monetization, and simplified the battle pass with lower store prices.
How many employees did 1047 Games lay off?
In July 2025, 1047 Games laid off 45 employees, representing approximately 28 percent of their workforce, as part of the decision to unlaunch Splitgate 2 and overhaul it.
Is the original Splitgate still playable?
No, 1047 Games shut down the original Splitgate servers in August 2025 to cut costs. However, they did implement peer-to-peer support allowing fans to continue playing through community-hosted servers.
How much funding did 1047 Games raise?
1047 Games raised $100 million in September 2021, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, following the success of the original Splitgate which regularly had six-figure concurrent player counts.
Will there be another relaunch?
1047 Games has not announced any plans for further changes or relaunches. Given that they’ve already unlaunched once and the December relaunch failed, it’s unclear what options remain for the studio.
What was the Summer Game Fest controversy?
CEO Ian Proulx appeared at Summer Game Fest 2025 wearing a hat that said “Make FPS Great Again,” a reference to the political MAGA slogan. This immediately politicized the game and generated significant backlash from the gaming community.
Conclusion
Splitgate’s story is frustrating because the core game is actually fun. Portal-based movement in an arena shooter works. The gunplay feels good. The map design is solid. But none of that matters when you’ve destroyed player trust through a combination of tone-deaf marketing, predatory monetization, premature launches, mass layoffs, and broken promises. 1047 Games had $100 million, a proven concept, and a community that wanted them to succeed. They squandered all of it by chasing trends instead of understanding what made them special in the first place. The December relaunch should have been a comeback story. Instead, it’s proof that in gaming, you can’t always get a second chance – and even when you do, it might already be too late. Splitgate fumbled again, and this time there might not be anyone left to care.