Latest news with #Splitgate2
Digital Trends
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Splitgate 2 retreats back into beta, aims for a 2026 re-release
After a rocky, controversial launch, Splitgate 2 is going back to the drawing board. In a post shared on Steam and social media, developer 1047 acknowledged player feedback and said 'we launched too early.' The team announced plans to revamp and overhaul the game by adding more portals, better monetization, and doubling down on classic game modes. This means the game is going 'back to beta,' according to the posts. Splitgate 2 will remain in a playable state, and the team still intends to ship chapter three along with major bug fixes. However, further development will slow until sometime in early 2026 when a more finalized version of the game is released. Recommended Videos Unfortunately, the news comes alongside layoff announcements. 'Rebuilding the core experience isn't a quick fix; it's a long-term commitment. To give ourselves the time to build the Splitgate you deserve, we've made the incredibly difficult decision to reduce certain roles and shift our resources to focus on this rework. This is heartbreaking. These are our teammates and our friends, and they helped build what we have today. They're receiving severance and job placement support, and we're committed to doing everything we can to help them through this transition. We hope to bring them back when we can.' To the Splitgate community, We believe in Splitgate 2. This game means everything to us – it's been our life for almost 10 years, starting in our dorm room, and we're more committed than ever to delivering the incredible experience you deserve. We've heard your feedback, and we… — Splitgate 2 – Beta (@Splitgate) July 22, 2025 The original Splitgate is also shutting down in a cost-saving attempt. The studio says it would like to keep the servers online indefinitely, but that it's prioritizing the team over the original game. 'Like us, we know this game means a lot to so many of you, so we are exploring the possibility of supporting offline or peer-to-peer matches.' A dedicated Splitgate 2 mode that closely resembles the gameplay of the first game has also been promised. The announcement demonstrates a dedication to the game and its community that sometimes feels rare in the modern landscape. 1047 is treating Splitgate 2 like a passion project rather than a simple cash grab and asks that players continue to provide feedback on changes and updates. 'Now more than ever, wqe need your help,' the studio says.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Splitgate 2 is yanked back to beta a month after release
Splitgate 2, the follow-up to the hugely successful 2021 Quake-Portal hybrid concept, is returning to beta. The game launched last month, but developer 1047 Games is pulling it after deciding the release had been rushed. The company doesn't plan to release the project again until 2026. "We'll be heads down until early next year, rebuilding major parts of the game to capture the spirit of what made Splitgate special," the founders said in a post to the game's Reddit community. "That means reworking progression from the ground up, adding more portals to our maps, simplifying monetization, refocusing on classic game modes you've been asking for, and more, which we'll share soon." Not only will the sequel go back into development, but 1047 Games is also cutting jobs. And that's after it already laid off some team members shortly after Splitgate 2's initial release. The company said it will shut down the servers for the original Splitgate in order to reduce expenses and keep more of its team members employed. 1047 Games has been brutalized in the public eye after co-founder Ian Proulx appeared at Summer Games Fest wearing a hat that read "Make FPS Great Again," which infuriated many of the original Splitgate's players. After the initial stance, posted to the studio's X account on Splitgate 2's release date, that he was both "not here to apologize" and that the hat was "not a political statement," Proulx finally landed on the line that it was all basically a publicity stunt.
Engadget
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Splitgate 2 is yanked back to beta a month after release
Splitgate 2 , the follow-up to the hugely successful 2021 Quake - Portal hybrid concept, is returning to beta. The game launched last month, but developer 1047 Games is pulling it after deciding the release had been rushed. The company doesn't plan to release the project again until 2026. "We'll be heads down until early next year, rebuilding major parts of the game to capture the spirit of what made Splitgate special," the founders said in a post to the game's Reddit community. "That means reworking progression from the ground up, adding more portals to our maps, simplifying monetization, refocusing on classic game modes you've been asking for, and more, which we'll share soon." Not only will the sequel go back into development, but 1047 Games is also cutting jobs. And that's after it already laid off some team members shortly after Splitgate 2 's initial release. The company said it will shut down the servers for the original Splitgate in order to reduce expenses and keep more of its team members employed. 1047 Games has been brutalized in the public eye after co-founder Ian Proulx appeared at Summer Games Fest wearing a hat that read "Make FPS Great Again," which infuriated many of the original Splitgate 's players. After the initial stance, posted to the studio's X account on Splitgate 2's release date, that he was both "not here to apologize" and that the hat was "not a political statement," Proulx finally landed on the line that it was all basically a publicity stunt .
Business Insider
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Video Game Layoffs Continue with Cuts at MindsEye and Splitgate 2 Studios
The video game landscape is changing, and it's not good for developers. Several layoffs have been announced throughout the year, and it continued on Monday with cuts at two studios. Confident Investing Starts Here: The first round of layoffs comes from MindsEye developer Build A Rocket Boy. The UK-based game developer has begun the 45-day consultation process required when layoffs total more than 100 workers. It's unclear how many will be included in these layoffs, but the studio employs roughly 300 people in the UK and 200 more abroad. These layoffs follow the disastrous launch of MindsEye, which has a Metacritic score of 38 out of 100 and a user score of 2.6 out of 10. Next are cuts from Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games. A LinkedIn post notes these only include a small number of employees. Additionally, company co-founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian have agreed to take no salaries as they 'lock in to deliver the next phase of the project.' Video Game Layoffs Have Become An Industry Trend While Build A Rocket Boy and 1047 Games aren't large developers, they add to a growing trend of layoffs. That includes those that have taken place at major studios, such as Sony's (SONY) Days Gone developer Bend Studios. Warner Bros (WBD) has also cut its game development staff and recently reorganized its studios to focus on core intellectual properties. Some of these layoffs are likely related to overhiring during the COVID-19 pandemic. With people trapped at home during lockdowns, the video game hobby surged. That resulted in increased hiring to meet demand, but those lockdowns ended years ago and it only makes sense that some jobs would be cut. Other issues facing the game industry are large costs and long periods of development. The money that goes toward the development of AAA games has ballooned greatly over the last several years as developers seek to create larger worlds with more detailed graphics. This even saw Ubisoft (UBSFY) start referring to some of its games, such as Skull & Bones as AAAA titles. The higher development costs necessitate the need for hits, as blunders can lead to financial struggles and job cuts. Which Video Game Stocks are Worth Investing In? Using TipRanks' comparison tool, traders can see which video game stocks are worth investing in. That includes major players, such as Nintendo (NTDOF), Microsoft (MSFT), and Sony. Of the big three, NTDOF has a consensus Moderate Buy rating, while MSFT and SONY have Strong Buy ratings. Sony offers the highest upside potential at 20.08%, with Nintendo and Microsoft both offering upside potentials of roughly 7%.
The Verge
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
The whiplash of covering Summer Game Fest 2025 in LA
I love going to Summer Game Fest. It's a rare opportunity to connect with my colleagues and friends in person, as well as listen to developers talk about why they make their games. In some ways, this year's SGF gave me everything I love about the event. But while I was comfortably ensconced in a happy bubble, the escalating conflict between demonstrators protesting against immigration raids and the Los Angeles Police Department cast a dark and soul-shaking pall that could not be ignored. Everything started on June 6th, when it was reported that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had conducted a raid in LA's fashion district, the same area where most of SGF was being held. I wasn't around to experience that because I was at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, watching Geoff Keighley announce a Game of Thrones RTS and a Wu-Tang game. But when Ian Proulx, Splitgate 2 creator and CEO of 1047 Games, came out with his now-infamous 'Make FPS Great Again' hat, it punctured the illusion of distance in time, space, and tone. In the months since President Donald Trump took office, ICE has ramped up its activities, sending agents to snatch parents from their children and children from their schools, enabled under the auspices that removing immigrants will be what makes America great again. Proulx's hat became the story of the day, if not the whole event. It was the main topic of conversation at the lobby bar of the JW Marriott hotel, where each night of SGF is capped off with a mixer. How could someone choose to reference such a statement, even in jest or irony, as the very people that slogan has been used to target are being snatched up mere blocks away? Saturday was business as usual. Proulx's hat was forgotten as I settled in to work, flitting between wall-to-wall appointments checking out Escape Academy 2, the new Lego Party game, and Deadpool VR with no time to chat or even eat. I didn't check my phone for hours, and every TV was playing a video game. I had no idea what was happening both in Los Angeles and in the White House. But when there was finally a lull, I popped online, where I was greeted with a deluge of messages from people who were watching the news, telling me that something (a nebulous, undefined, but nevertheless urgent something) was happening and that I needed to get back to the safety of my hotel. Thankfully, my worst fears about martial law declarations and curfews didn't come to pass while I was there, but they did after I was back home. People had taken to the streets of LA in protest of ICE action and began moving through parts of the city, demonstrating and occasionally clashing with the police (and autonomous vehicles). But at that moment, when I was hearing that insurrection acts were going to be invoked and that the National Guard was being mobilized to sweep the city, I became legitimately scared — particularly for attendees who weren't citizens and those with immigrant families. How could someone choose to reference such a statement, even in jest or irony? One such colleague, Janet Garcia, wrote an incredible account of what it was like working SGF and being the child of a Mexican immigrant. Her words right now are more important than mine. SGF also coincided with the BET Awards, and honoree Doechii also had a powerful message for the moment. There had already been several stories of international travelers being detained in the US for weeks, and I was scared that if something was happening, my journalist friends from Canada, the UK, and elsewhere could get caught in the mix. Word began spreading that something (again, what that was, nobody could say, and that uncertainty compounded the fear) was happening, and my friends and I all began to start asking aloud: do we need to leave? Some said yes, and I was ready to do just that, but something stopped me. I will never be able to adequately express how weird my job is in situations like this. It's really hard to write about the colorful pixels on a TV when it feels like the world is seconds away from catching fire. And yet I do it every day. Right when I was about to make the decision to leave early, a Capcom PR rep tapped me on the shoulder. I was late to my Resident Evil Requiem appointment. And I went, because in that scary moment I still thought, 'I have a job to do.' I did my best with Requiem, plodding along the abandoned hospital, being suitably impressed by how the sound of Grace's footsteps changed when she walked on the wooden floor vs. the floor covered in bits of broken drywall. But my phone kept buzzing with notifications throughout it all. Midway through the demo, my stress was so high from the ambient spookiness of the game and all the happenings outside the SGF bubble that I couldn't take it anymore. I made my profuse apologies to my PR contact (who was exceedingly gracious and understanding) and left. The mood that night at the hotel was less exuberant. It wasn't just everything going on in LA: the mood of the event itself was the lowest I'd ever seen it in the handful of years that SGF has served as E3's smaller, vibe-ier replacement. There were games there, good ones, but nothing big enough to anchor the show. As the industry faces its third straight year of rampant layoffs, cancellations, delays, and studio closures we're finally starting to see the pipeline of blockbuster games dry up. This was a stark contrast to last year when Sega had Metaphor: ReFantanzio and Shadow Generations, Bandai Namco showed off Shadow of the Erdtree, PlayStation was there with Astro Bot, and Xbox had just announced Gears of War: E-Day. I'm home now. And despite this year's strangeness, I look forward to going back to Summer Game Fest. Because if video games have taught me anything over the years, it's that in the face of overwhelming odds, the best thing one can do is stick together with your friends.
