by theygamesSeeing as the original Splitgate was widely known as ‘the lovechild of Halo and Portal’, the folks at developer 1047 are no strangers to comparisons. With its freshly-revealed sequel, Splitgate 2, even more comparisons are on the way thanks to its advanced movement system and new faction system. However, 1047’s CEO Ian Proulx says that while he acknowledges the resemblances, he is confident that Splitgate 2 will continue the original’s legacy of being a breath of fresh air in the FPS genre.
When it launched, the original Splitgate felt like one of the few FPS games that offered something that felt truly unique. Sure, Splitgate 2 promises more of the same portal poppin’ action, but with the addition of ability-led factions there’s concern from some that it may feel too much like hero shooters such as Overwatch 2, XDefiant, or the imminent Concord. Similarly, the new sliding movement mechanic has heralded comparisons to Respawn’s battle royale Apex Legends.
“I think that’s just the easiest way to talk about something new, right? [It’s] to compare it to what exists,” Proulx tells us when we ask him about all these comparisons. “I’m talking to a friend about a new game, like I’m going to compare it to something because we’re then speaking the same language, right? [However], I don’t think our game is very similar to anything out there.”
Don’t interpret this as Proulx being combative or elitist against Splitgate 2’s rivals. He tells us that he is an avid, active fan of Call of Duty, Valorant, Fortnite, and more. He’s also not afraid to look to them as reference points, but always ensures that that never veers into replication so that Splitgate 2 keeps its uniqueness.
“Of course, we take inspiration from other games,” he says. “I think about our slide [mechanic], I think we nailed it. And of course, you know, Apex was a big inspiration there, but we looked at everything. We looked at how CoD does sliding, we looked at The Finals, at Halo, at Apex, all of them, right? There’s always inspiration. But I think gamers will have to see for themselves [when they] play the game that, really, there isn’t anything like it.”
This confidence in Splitgate 2’s ability to still stand out from the crowd certainly gets me excited for what’s in store. While I’m personally still a touch worried that the portal-focused soul of the original may get lost in all the new abilities, just so long as it plays unlike anything else I can jump into right now, I’ll be happy.
With the Splitgate 2 release date not set to arrive until next year, your earliest chance to potentially play it is through its closed alpha, which you can learn more about here.
While you wait for the sequel to arrive, here are some excellent multiplayer games and free PC games that you can jump into to pass the time. Or, go and play the original Splitgate – you won’t regret it.
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Interview conducted by Aaron Down.