To say that Splitgate developers 1047 Games had a rocky year in 2025 would be the understatement of the century.
Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, previously known as Splitgate 2, launched in June last year. Not only did it receive middling reviews from both fans and critics, but it came straight hot off the heels of a PR disaster at Summer Games Fest, where 1047 Games founder Ian Proulx showed up wearing a “Make FPS Great Again” hat that, considering the ICE raids in the Los Angeles area surrounding the show, was considered in extremely poor taste. Goodwill for Splitgate was at an all-time low, and just one month after Splitgate 2 launched, 1047 “unlaunched” the game, returning it to beta.
The game relaunched on Dec. 4 2025 as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. However, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded’s latest peak on Steam Charts had it under 3,000 players, a stark difference from the first launch, which showed over 10,000 players on its first day and over 20,000 at its peak. The numbers don’t exactly inspire confidence, but instead of sticking its head in the sand and ignoring the surrounding conversation about the launch’s numbers, 1047 Games has decided to address the controversy head-on.
Taking to X, the developer team addressed its Steam Charts numbers.
“Steam Charts don’t measure fun. They show one number, on one platform, at one given moment. They don’t show the full picture or what it feels like to actually play, and they definitely don’t capture the community that’s actively helping shape what Arena Reloaded is becoming (including upcoming content like Arena Royale),” the developer writes.
“Over the past six months, we rebuilt Splitgate from the ground up because we believe in the game, our team, and our community. The 1027 team remains committed to delivering the best version of Splitgate possible. To our amazing community: thank you. Your feedback and passion have helped make Arena Reloaded better every day.”
“And to everyone who hasn’t played yet: Arena Reloaded is free, the gameplay’s the best it’s ever been, and we’d love for you to jump in and form your own opinion. A lot of passionate people worked very hard on it.”
The shooter market is far more crowded now than it was back when Splitgate 2 originally launched in June. There’s Arc Raiders, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, and even more shooters on the way with Highguard. With so many to choose from, Arena Reloaded needed to stand out among the crowd. Given it’s still early days, there is a chance 1047 Games could turn it around, certainly, especially with the promise of more content, but with so much competition? It’ll be tough.
Proulx previously spoke to Polygon about earning back the trust of the players in Splitgate’s community after a troubled launch, citing other games that also didn’t hit it out of the ballpark, such as Warframe, only to go back to basics and relaunch stronger than ever. However, a month after the relaunch, it’s clear to see that there’s still a long way for the Splitgate team to go to get that trust (and the players) back.
