At last night’s Summer Game Fest showcase, 1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx took to the stage to reveal the shadowdrop of a Splitgate 2 battle royale mode. After stressing his exhaustion with rinse-and-repeat Call of Duty titles, he unveiled the portal-hopping, free-to-play battle royale mode inside Splitgate 2, but the revelation was soon soured.
As players hopped into the Splitgate 2 battle royale, they uncovered microtransaction-fuelled bundles with eye-watering prices. These elements were more or less guaranteed by Proulx when I caught up with him a few weeks ago, but nobody could have anticipated how expensive things would be in Splitgate 2.
Mild Shock
When Ian Proulx hopped on the stage following a welcome by Geoff Keighley at Summer Game Fest, he left in the wake of a slight controversy. He’d donned a hat emblazoned with the words ‘Make FPS Great Again’, which prompted many to feel concerned about potential political subtones.
He also bagged on the annual release mechanics of Call of Duty and threw shade at the recent cancellation of Titanfall 3, before dubbing his new battle royale f***ing awesome and storming off stage.
However, while the news about the portal-based battle royale in Splitgate 2 took everyone by surprise, the jubilation was quickly dampened as fans uncovered the monetisation features in the game.
So Splitgate 2 stealth drops a Resurgence Style BR for Free, which is cool But also decide to drop $140+ Bundle that is advertised as 45% off “Make FPS Great Again” though hahahaha
One of the debut bundles in the Splitgate 2 store, the ‘Nano Swarm’ bundle, boasts a discounted price of 8,000 Splitcoins. The reduced price tag is in honour of the release of the battle royale platform, but it does little to persuade users to invest.
Without that sale tag, the Nano Swarm bundle would set you back $145. The community was quick to mention that almost no other FPS title with a similar operating model has ever hosted a bundle with such an exorbitant price tag.
We were prepared by Ian Proulx ahead of launch, but the reality of the situation is a little concerning:
Splitgate 2 will be free-to-play.
We’re innovating on gameplay, we’re not innovating on monetisation.
(It’ll feature) traditional industry elements and no pay-to-win or gacha mechanics.
Of course, the mitigation of the situation is that the microtransactions are entirely cosmetic and optional. You can play the Splitgate 2 battle royale without spending a penny. It has a low-cost battle pass, some innovative mechanics, and cross-play functionality, all of which are big wins.
That was a notion put forward by the Splitgate team on social media:
We understand your criticism. This pack features our most unique skins with complex animations & artwork.
We have a variety of cheaper options. The game is free to play, & you don’t need to buy anything to enjoy it to its fullest. Nothing is pay to win & never will be.
Are you disappointed by the MTX mechanics in Splitgate 2? Let me know if you’re still going to play the game on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Dying Light: The Beast is launching this August
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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