Splitgate 2 "unlaunches" as player count drops 93% with devs promising a 2026 relaunch

To the surprise of many, 1047 Games has officially announced that Splitgate 2, its highly anticipated FPS sequel, is being “unlaunched” and reverting to “Beta Status” amid a rocky launch on June 6, 2025. 

In a candid statement on Splitgate 2s official X handle and Steam page, founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian stated that the decision comes amid lower-than-expected player counts and mixed community feedback. Moreover, the studio also confirmed that 45 employees, nearly 28% of its workforce, were let go, with the studio reporting that the servers are being taken offline in August. The layoffs are attributed to the studio redirecting its resources to overhaul the game.

To provide context, Splitgate 2’s launch was rocky from the get-go. The game was marred by technical issues, microtransactions, and a lack of “polished, portal-filled mayhem” that made the original game a hit back in 2019.

SteamDB data is indicative of plummeting player counts. The game’s 25,785 concurrent players last month have now dropped to a 24-hour peak of just 1,839. To put things into perspective, that’s a 93% drop in player count within a month.

Moreover, the game sits at 18,260 Steam reviews with a 61% positive rating, compared to the original title’s 91% out of 111,737 reviews. The reason behind this is player base outrage. Gamers complained about the lack of a ranked mode and the inclusion of a ludicrous $80 cosmetic bundle, which was slashed to $40 thanks to the significant amount of backlash it incurred.

1047 Games took the onus upon themselves and admitted to rushing features, making “boneheaded mistakes,” and stated that they “bit off more than we could chew.”

As for the “unlaunch” of Splitgate 2, the game will remain playable but will shift back to beta. 1047 Games claims it is pooling 95% of its efforts into a major overhaul slated for a 2026 relaunch. Their goals include simplifying monetization, adding more portal structures, implementing a better progression system, and incorporating community feedback alongside bug fixes.