"We don't want to just be the 'Halo meets Portal' team": Splitgate 2 wants to to evolve beyond its inspirations

A collection of Splitgate 2 screenshots as part of GamesRadar+'s Big in 2025 roundup
(Image credit: 1047 Games)

What is a development studio to do when 'Halo meets Portal' isn't enough of a sell to sustain a community? 1047 Games first took time to reflect, and then stripped its design ethos back to the barest foundations – where better to rebuild from there? Splitgate 2 is the result of that effort, a sequel to the 2019 phenomenon which burned bright and faded fast. Creative director and company CEO Ian Proulx is dead set on delivering a shooter that can survive the test of time.

"Halo meets Portal was a pretty good tagline for a team that had no marketing budget," he says, chuckling. "But we want to build our own path with this sequel. We don't want to just be the 'Halo meets Portal' team. Those games were obviously a huge inspiration, we're not shy about that, but Splitgate 2 needs to be its own thing."

Big in 2025

Big in 2025 is the annual new year preview from GamesRadar+. Throughout January we are spotlighting the 50 most anticipated games of 2025 with exclusive interviews, hands-on previews, analysis, and so much more. Visit our Big in 2025 coverage hub to find all of our articles across the month.

Two Splitgate 2 players shooting each other in a new map

(Image credit: 1047 Games)

Live service mentality

Key information

Developer: In-house
Publisher: 1047 Games
Platform(s): PC
Release date: 2025

Fairly radical changes have arrived as a result. There's a clearer, more consistent visual identity; a refined approach to manoeuvrability and momentum; maps with less overt verticality, and more grounded gunplay infused with a class-based faction system to lend the experience greater definition. "We looked at what Splitgate did really well, that fans really loved, and at the areas where we felt it fell short – where we weren't able to sustain longevity."

The essence of Splitgate's gunplay, portals, and movement were aspects 1047 Games wanted to preserve. But key revisions reflect a desire to "make a game that's here to stay for years to come" rather than an experience which "has its moment and then fades." Factions are one element where Proulx says Splitgate 2 is vying to include "meaningful variety with a purpose", with the class-based structure "allowing us to not only cater to different playstyles, but allow for a meta to form that can evolve over time."

1047 Games is honest in its self-appraisal, that it didn't grasp the complexities of managing a live-service in the modern era. Perhaps that should come as no surprise, given the studio's humble origins. "Splitgate started off as a school project. I co-founded this studio with a friend of mine in a dorm room. The Splitgate team was under 20 people. A small team, with a small budget. We had a lot of raw talent and passion, but we were very inexperienced," he says. "I think the biggest thing I learned from Splitgate was the importance of Live Ops."

A shootout with a portal in Splitgate 2

(Image credit: 1047 Games)

"Our short-term retention was world class, up there with the top shooters," Proulx continues. "Players would come and play Splitgate for about four weeks, have a good time, leave a good review – we're 92% positive on Steam – and then they would run out of things to do. Games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Valorant would have big updates and players would go back to them. The biggest lesson learned is how key this part of game development is; figuring that out and being able to move quickly is just so important."

Whether Splitgate 2 can stand the test of time is unknowable. But what's clear is that the free-to-play shooter is moving in the right direction. Four-versus-four action that's tight and precise, dazzling in moments where fast portal placement can lead to awe-inspiring aerial kills. Multi-dimensional combat remains Splitgate 2's strongest identifier, but there is still balance to be had in its interplay with new class-based abilities and powers.

Still, in spite of the challenge, Proulx remains confident: "My plan for success is to keep listening to the community, hire amazing people, build amazing things, and do it quickly. Being able to listen to the community and stay lean, it's something we're in a unique position to deliver on. The team is around 175 now and growing, but we still have that scrappy startup mentality," he says. "At the end of the day, we're just a bunch of gamers having fun."


"We didn’t make the game of our dreams": Splitgate 2 is a AAA FPS built to "last a decade or more" using everything the first FPS couldn't be, all in Unreal Engine 5

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Josh West
Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+

Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+'s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you've definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.

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