Breakout multiplayer hit Splitgate is returning from the grave. 1047 Games announced Splitgate 2 on Thursday, and it’s scheduled for a 2025 release. The sequel has been rebuilt from the ground up to feature new faction-based portal gameplay.
Splitgate became a surprise hit in 2021 after initially hitting early access in 2019, combining Halo-esque first-person gunplay with portals, creating a unique dynamic that focuses more on positioning rather than aiming or your skill with a virtual gun. It amassed over 600,000 downloads in its first week, and around 22 million over its lifetime. In 2022, the studio announced it was winding down support to focus on a new project that wasn’t exactly “Halo meets Portal.”
A cinematic trailer for the sequel, released alongside the announcement, shows a number of fighters entering the ring, completing with familiar weapons and those famous portals. Fans will also notice some different kinds of playstyles represented, showing off how the new factions will work when paired together.
There are three to choose from. The first is Aeros, which allows you to dash and move a lot faster around the playing field with tools like a jetpack. Next up is Meridian, who can manipulate time, as seen with a stasis field weapon in the trailer. Finally, there’s Sabrask, which specializes in brute strength and guns. Players will be able to combine them in 4v4 matches and utilize strategy to win matches. The idea is reminiscent of Halo Reach‘s class system on paper, but we’ll have to wait and see how it works in practice.
The game itself has also gotten a huge upgrade in technical terms. “The original Splitgate’s development was ambitious but scrappy,” 1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx said in a press release, noting that it was made in a dorm room and a team of around 30 people. “This time around, Splitgate 2 has been designed from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5 to deliver the AAA first-person shooter experience our fans deserve, with the series’ signature action completely overhauled by an all-star team composed of the most talented individuals in the industry.”
And unlike other sequels, you don’t have to have played the first game to play the second — although I’m sure gameplay knowledge would be helpful.
The sequel has been in the works for a few years now. In 2022 Proulx told Tech Reader that he felt Splitgate wasn’t set up for the long term. “There are little things like, hey, we can do better art, we can do better graphics. Everything about it we can do on a better scale,” he said at the time. “There are a lot of things we want to change to make sure we have a game that stays relevant long-term.” Thanks to $100 million in investor funding, that seems possible in Splitgate 2.
Splitgate 2 is not set to release this year, but you can wishlist it on your platform of choice: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4.
