Last week, 1047 Games dropped a cryptic teaser that had many suspecting a new Splitgate project was in the works. Today, that has been officially confirmed, with Splitgate 2 unveiled in a dynamic announcement trailer.
Most of the praise surrounding the original Splitgate came around its ability to innovate the arena shooter genre while sticking to what people loved about FPS titles to begin with—quality gunplay. That seems to be sticking around in the surprise sequel, as is the focal point of play; the fast-paced teleporting gameplay.
Splitgate separated itself from the shooter pack with its portal-based gameplay when it first exploded onto the scene in 2019, with the mechanic particularly interesting because you could make or shutdown each other’s portals. Splitgate 2 appears insistent on offering more of the same, though there will be tweaks.
We’ve already seen a little of the sequel in a glitzy cinematic trailer which proves, if nothing else, that Splitgate 2 is going to enjoy a much larger budget than the last entry.
There seem to be hints at a greater story too, but it could also be something that’s drip-fed for interest the way Overwatch tends to roll out media leading up to releases. On the Splitgate website, 1047 advertises a Splitgate 2 companion app that will share comics, cards, and other chunks of lore, so this may not be too far off.
There wasn’t any gameplay revealed yet, but fans are hopeful that the visual upgrade and existence of cinematics are representative of the state of gameplay as well. Here, Splitgate is presented in universe as an attention-grabbing sport with a dark underbelly. Amid all the gunfighting shown, there’s a little extra emphasis on showing off what appear to be new gadgets or powers that players can employ.
1047 Games also put emphasis on the personality of its Splitgate 2 characters. These will be split into classes players can choose between:
- Aeros, shown to be a DPS type bearing similarities to Overwatch’s Tracer.
- Meridian, described as “time-manipulating” which appears to signal a strategic slant.
- Sabrask, a tankier pick some compared to Destiny’s Warlock.
The sporty nature of the sequel’s early visuals could give us a hint towards what 1047 is aiming for with its community too. Splitgate has always had a competitive scene, but the way the new teleporting shooter is often pitched puts that concept front and center. Considering Splitgate’s inspirations, the sequel’s devs may be needling in on the way Halo games have always had vibrant competitive communities. Focusing on the most devoted section of the arena fanbase may be a great way to get that hype going.
Either way, Splitgate 2 trailer seems to have raised more questions than answers, though generating curiosity is a good thing. Splitgate 2 is expected to arrive in 2025 across PlayStation, Xbox, and several PC stores.
