According to GameSpot, developer 1047 Games is rebooting its troubled shooter once more, announcing that Splitgate 2 will be relaunched as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded on December 17. The studio’s design director, Josh Watson, stated they’ve rebuilt the game from the ground up, drawing inspiration from classic arena shooters like Unreal Tournament, Quake, and Halo. The new version will strip out the Factions and Abilities system from Splitgate 2 to return to a classic arena combat experience. It will also feature retooled progression, new ranked systems, and reduced in-game store prices, addressing major player complaints. The game adds five new maps, six reworked maps, and new weapons like a Railgun. Following the end of the Splitgate 2 beta on December 4, Arena Reloaded will launch as a free-to-play title on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.
A Year Of Stumbles
Man, what a rollercoaster for 1047 Games. They launched Splitgate 2 in open beta in May, went to a full release in June, and by July they’d already pulled it back into beta. That’s a wild timeline. And that’s not even mentioning the public relations headache of that “Make FPS Great Again” hat at Summer Game Fest. Combine that with player outrage over microtransactions and the developer layoffs that followed, and you’ve got a recipe for a game in serious trouble. It’s rare to see a studio so publicly course-correct like this. Most would just quietly sunset the project. The fact they’re trying again, with a new name and a clear “we heard you” message, is either commendably stubborn or a huge gamble.
Back To Basics
Here’s the thing: their new direction actually makes a ton of sense. The original Splitgate’s magic was that simple, brilliant hook: Halo’s gunplay meets Portal’s portals. It was pure, skill-based chaos. Splitgate 2, with its added Factions and Abilities, seemed to complicate that clean formula. By stripping all that back out for Arena Reloaded, they’re basically admitting the sequel lost the plot. They’re betting that the core community—the players who loved the old-school, Quake-like feel—will come back if they refocus on that. And you know what? They’re probably right. In a market saturated with hero shooters and loadout-based combat, there’s a real hunger for that pure, movement-and-aim focused arena experience.
The Free-To-Play Tightrope
The other big fix is the economy. Watson specifically called out reduced store prices and retooled progression. That’s a direct response to the monetization backlash that helped sink the Splitgate 2 launch. Free-to-play live service games walk a razor’s edge. Price your cosmetics too high or make progression feel like a grind, and players will revolt. It seems 1047 finally learned that lesson the hard way. Now, the challenge is making a revenue model that’s fair to players and sustainable for the studio, especially after layoffs. Can they nail it this time? The entire relaunch hinges on rebuilding trust, and fair pricing is the fastest way to do that.
Last Chance Saloon
So, is this it? The final attempt? It kinda feels that way. You can only relaunch and rebrand a game so many times before the audience just gives up. December 17 is a huge date for them. They’re shutting the old version down completely, which is a clean break, but also a risk—if the new one stumbles out of the gate, there’s nothing to fall back on. They’re putting all their chips on this “classic arena” vision and community feedback. I think the core idea is solid. But after the year they’ve had, the player base will be skeptical. Goodwill is earned in drops and lost in buckets. 1047 Games is about to find out how much they have left.
