Developer 1047 Games has announced that its multiplayer shooter Splitgate will finally reach its 1.0 version. But following that official launch on September 15, the developer announced it’ll transition to its next project set in the same universe.
“We are, in a way, bailing water while also trying to keep everyone who bought a ticket to board our ship happy, while also trying to turn our boat into a rocket ship,” wrote 1047. “This is a ‘see you soon,’ and not a ‘farewell.'”
Speaking to Digital Trends, 1047 founder Ian Prolux explained that part of the change is due to the original Splitgate not being entirely sustainable. “The formula of it is not necessarily set up for live-service, long-term success,” he said. “There are a lot of things we want to change to make sure we have a game that stays relevant long-term.
Splitgate has been in beta since its 2019 release, and was billed as a spiritual successor to early Halo games, with the added benefit of using colored portals to get around the map. It relaunched in 2021, and thanks to extra funding, 1047 has since added new modes and updated the game’s art style.
Getting away from the “Halo meets Portal” comparison will be one of the key goals of the next game, continued Prolux, even as it continues to be a free-to-play game involving shooting and portals. The biggest change for the new game will be that it’ll run on Unreal Engine 5.
“We want to come up with a new art style,” he continued. “But we felt like we had to play it safe because it had to fit within the game. So now we want to go make our own thing. Give us a blank slate and let me show you what we can do.”
Important announcement from 1047 Games about the future of Splitgate: pic.twitter.com/5E0YG1DWQm
— Splitgate (@Splitgate) September 2, 2022
Several live service games like Destiny have successfully undergone soft reboots, or attempted to, in an effort to rejuvenate communities and bring in new players. From Prolux’s words, the new Splitgate will attempt to be more of an evolution than a rebirth.
“This is not just the same thing with better graphics; this is a new game….It is going to be a different experience, and I think it’s going to be a much better experience and one that can maintain and grow.”
