Splitgate "ending feature development" so dev can focus on new shooter in same universe
But game will remain online.
Developer 1047 Games has announced it will be "ending feature development" on its acclaimed free-to-play sci-fi shooter Splitgate in order to shift its focus to creating a new game set in the same universe.
Splitgate - which has been described as "Halo meets Portal" in some quarters - made quite the splash last year. Despite having been around on PC since May 2019, an open crossplay beta for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC proved so popular that 1047 Games elected to delay the game's multi-platform early access launch in order to better accommodate its surge in popularity.
1047 Games has continued to build on that success in the months since, most recently launching Splitgate's beta season two in July. However, the developer has now said it will be "ending feature development" on the game as a result of what it seemingly considers to be insurmountable legacy issues.
"Splitgate achieved a level of success that we could not have anticipated and that few indie games are fortunate to reach," the developer wrote in a statement shared on Twitter. "That initial success brought an opportunity to turn what started as a college dorm dream project into a AAA game that could stand toe-to-toe with shooters from the biggest publishers in the industry. But this also meant that as we've brought on top-tier talent from across the industry, we've spent a lot of our time trying to rework old content and systems that were originally built by a handful of people."
"We are, in a way, bailing water while also trying to keep everyone who bought a ticket to board our ship happy," it continued, "while also trying to turn our boat into a rocket ship."
As a result of these foundational considerations, 1047 says that "after careful consideration and much deliberation the [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".
1047 says it will now be "turning [its] 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. It will be a shooter, it will have portals, and it will be built in Unreal Engine 5. Oh, and it will be free."
Despite this dramatic shift in focus, 1047 stresses that Splitgate in its current form will remain online with all player items and progression available. It will also be rolling out a new Battle Pass on 15th September that will be free to all players "as a thank you for playing".
"Game support will continue and there will be smaller updates and fixes to Splitgate," it adds, "but the bulk of our focus will on an entirely new shooter that we can't wait to share with you."