Splitgate has been around in one form or another since 2019, offering game modes like Juggernaut and Hotzone in a “Halo meets Portal” style that’s proven to be a big hit. That hit isn’t going away, but it’s no longer going to be the focus of developer 1047 Games. The studio is starting work on a new title set in the same universe.
The announcement was made in a blog post on the studio’s website and reflected across social media. “After careful consideration and much deliberation, the 1047 Games team has determined that in order to build the game fans deserve — and to build it in a way that isn’t trying to retrofit and live-operate an existing product — we are ending feature development of Splitgate,” the statement reads. “Feature development” is an important phrase there. Splitgate will still receive support like weekly playlists, item drops, and other critical updates — it just won’t be getting any major new game modes or things of that nature. That said, September 15 will see the game officially leave beta with the arrival of Season Two.
Season Two will include a free battle pass with infinite tiers and a number of rewards as a thank you to the fans. Splitgate has seen enormous success over the years — more than 18 million downloads, in fact. 1047 Games received $10 million in funding in fall 2021 which allowed it to remain independent and hire more staff to help maintain such a big hit.
Now, however, that team has shifted priorities to developing its next game. “We’re turning our attention away from iterative, smaller updates and going all-in to focus on a new game in the Splitgate universe which will present revolutionary, not evolutionary, changes to our game,” the announcement continued. “It will be a shooter, it will have portals, and it will be built in Unreal Engine 5. Oh, and it will be free.” It sounds like Splitgate fans will feel at home with the new game, even if they’re currently disappointed by the news of putting the brakes on new content. It also sounds like a necessary step for an independent studio that’s aiming for a triple-A experience with its products.
