Summary
- Players of Splitgate 2 are voicing their frustrations with high costs for in-game purchases in the newly launched Battle Royale mode.
- Criticism has been directed towards the company’s CEO and the game’s unfinished look.
- Reviews for Splitgate 2 are skewed more towards negative following its mixed beta reception.
Splitgate 2 surprised fans by introducing a Battle Royale mode with its full launch, but many players are unhappy about the expensive microtransactions tied to it. The follow-up to 1047 Games’ successful shooter faced high expectations due to its predecessor and an increasingly competitive online FPS market.
Following the open beta that concluded on June 6, the game debuted with a trailer during the Summer Game Fest, showcasing a new battle royale mode for 60 players in 15 teams. However, the overall feedback from the community has not been as favorable as expected.
Fans have been particularly vocal about the costs of cosmetic items, some of which exceed $140. An incident during the Summer Game Fest, where CEO Ian Proulx wore a “Make FPS Great Again” hat while criticizing the Call of Duty franchise, added to the backlash, as many considered such statements hypocritical given the current monetization choices in Splitgate 2.
Despite the launch, the game’s reviews are transitioning from a previously positive outlook—thanks to the beta—to unfavorable feedback on platforms like Steam, where complaints about bugs and unfinished features are mounting. While some issues have been addressed, the community’s satisfaction with Splitgate 2’s features remains low.
Microtransactions continue to be a contentious topic in gaming, drawing substantial backlash directed at the developers. Surveys indicate that a significant portion of revenue in PC gaming derives from these in-game purchases, totaling $24.4 billion in just 2024. The steep pricing for cosmetics during a free-to-play title like Splitgate 2 seems to negatively influence the game’s reception post-launch.
