Splitgate 2 is "going back to beta" less than two months after fully launching

I've found a lot of enjoyment in Splitgate 2 since its full launch back in early June. The portal-infused FPS has been a great game to jump into every now and again for some quick, frantic matches. However, it's safe to say it's had its problems too. While I expected developer 1047 Games to reveal some kind of roadmap of improvements or major 'health of the game' update, I never thought that it'd return to a beta state - but that's exactly what's about to happen. Admitting that Splitgate 2 "launched too early," the free-to-play shooter will be "going back to beta" until at least early 2026. 1047 is also making cuts to its workforce, and shuttering servers on the first Splitgate, while it takes on this rework of the sequel.

Despite my personal affinity for Splitgate 2, the big-budget, free-to-play game has had its fair share of controversies and has struggled to establish itself as one of the top live service dogs. There was a massive wave of interest initially, and it had the potential to be one of the best FPS games around. But now, less than two months after it fully launched following a brief spell in open beta, player counts appear to be worryingly low. While there is of course a huge community of console players, on Steam peak daily player counts are floating around the 2,000 mark. That doesn't signify a complete disaster, but it's not what you'd call 'healthy' either.

In a remarkably candid post, 1047 Games concedes that "in our excitement to share [Splitgate 2] with you, we bit off more than we could chew. We rushed certain features, made some boneheaded mistakes, and most importantly - we didn't give you the polished, portal-filled mayhem you fell in love with."

While the original Splitgate was majorly lacking in content, the sequel does appear to have overcorrected a bit. Splitgate 2 adds some excellent new competitive arena modes, and it has a great custom map creator. However, it also packs in a battle royale mode, a huge array of free-for-all modes, and its multi-team Portal Warfare modes that are played out on massive maps. It all feels a bit bloated. There have been criticisms over progression and its live service model as well.

As a result of these complaints, Splitgate 2 is going back to beta. "We'll be heads down until early next year, rebuilding major parts of the game to capture the spirit of what made Splitgate special," 1047 says. "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." 1047 assures that, despite the shift back to beta, it will remain playable, and Chapter 3 of its Season 1 battle pass will also still be shipped as planned.

This decision isn't without some major casualties and cost cutting efforts. First, the servers for the original Splitgate are going to shut down for good. This will happen "in a month," according to the statement.

The second is that 1047 is undergoing a big restructuring. "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."

It will be interesting to see what the second iteration of Splitgate 2 will look like next year and if all this extra effort can actually give it a chance of long-term survival. I'm sadly reminded of Spectre Divide, the Valorant-esque tactical FPS that called it quits after just six months. It too launched rather hastily, and despite some big reworks and a relaunch, it couldn't hold out. I pray Splitgate 2 doesn't suffer the same fate - I genuinely love its arena shooter gameplay, and I'd be extremely sad to see it go.

While Splitgate 2 will remain playable despite its return to beta, you might want to also check out some of the best free PC games and best multiplayer games around right now.

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