SPLITGATE 2

Developer/publisher | 1047 Games
Format | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Origin | US
Release | 2025
Don't be fooled by the hot-pink gloss. The developers of Splitgate's successor may have slapped on some colour and reimagined it as a class-based shooter, with a reveal trailer that foregrounds three pinup heroes, but at heart Splitgate 2 is very much of the old school.
The same was true of its viral-smash predecessor, which not only married Halo with Portal but did so while delivering the neat load-outs, tight maps and fast, meaty gunplay that caused so many of us to imprint on this genre in the first place.
Unlike many of its contemporaries, the first Splitgate was delightfully indifferent to how much time you had to spare it. Yes, your K:D ratio would benefit from a bit of time getting to grips with the intricacies of its portal system, and of course it was easier to slip around the maps as their layouts grew familiar (something tested as new routes and shortcuts were wormholed into existence).
But overall, in line with the arena-based presentations of its shootouts, this was a very sporting vision of warfare, one where you couldn't grind out a better grenade.
In the long term, though, this anti-FOMO design may actually have worked against Splitgate as much as for it. At its August 2021 peak, the game boasted over 67,000 concurrent players. By July 2024, this had plummeted to fewer than 600. As 1047 CEO and creative director Ian Proulx reflects, Splitgate is a "super-fun game," but after playing it for three or four weeks, "you've kind of experienced everything there is to do."
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In

DREAMS OF ANOTHER
Pondering existence with help from an assault rifle

CREATING HAVK
How a modest team of Dubliners elevated the art of game physics

Holding on to the past
How is Japan's Game Preservation Society doing in its mission to preserve its own future?
State of Playdate
As its second season of games arrives, we catch up with the little yellow handheld that could
VENBA
How a small team of Canadian developers came together to cook up a storm

Changing tide
Develop prepares for celebratory looks at the past mixed with uncertain glances to the future

COLLECTED WORKS SAM LAKE
Talking parallel dimensions with the would-be novelist who accidentally became the public face of Remedy

Concrete Genie
Filling in the gaps between art and puzzle design

A NEW PEAK
Following on from the wild success of Untitled Goose Game, House House returns with a multiplayer open world unlike any other

HEART MACHINE
Inspired by personal trauma, driven by early success, an indie gem searches for stability