Splitgate, an exclusive look at Season 1

Splitgate

"Halo, but with portals". The idea behind Splitgate is brilliant in its simplicity, but it took some time for anyone to realize the existence of this online shooter that combines the multiplayer dynamics typical of Halo with the mechanics of Portal. In early access from 2019, the 1047 Games game saw unpredictable growth last summer, coinciding with the arrival of the definitive version of the game on consoles. "The initial idea was to release a beta in July and launch the full game by the end of the month," said US team CEO Ian Proulx. "But it didn't go exactly as planned." The game's servers raised the white flag when it went from 400 to 200,000 concurrent players, numbers the small development team was not prepared to accommodate.

The launch of Splitgate was thus postponed to August, with a "Season 0" which in a more cautious and gradual way put the gears back into motion, but while outside the fans were wondering when the situation was would be normalized, behind the scenes the American studio was shaking hands and signing contracts.

"After the servers went offline for too many players, we were approached by a large number of investors," Proulx explains. "At one point, we closed a deal that allowed us to receive $ 100 million, bringing the company's value to $ 1.5 billion. And it was at this point that everything changed."

With such an influx of resources, the small developer has been able to expand (today it has 50 people) and above all has found a new goal: to transform that low-cost independent game into a project with the productive values ​​of a blockbuster. A path that looks long, but which sees in Season 1 the first and fundamental step to transform Splitgate into a game capable of not disfiguring alongside its two main sources of inspiration.

A map with a new look

Season 1 of Splitgate remakes Foregone Destruction Instead of introducing a new map, Season 1 of Splitgate will offer a complete makeover for Foregone Destruction, an arena particularly popular for its references to the classic Unreal Tournament . The team has hired new graphic designers and artistic directors in recent months, and the leap is evident: the arena is still carpeted with the red and blue sheets of the two teams, but from the lighting system to the textures of the surfaces, passing through the details of the trees. and plants, everything is more modern and pleasant.

However, the work done is not limited to the aesthetic aspect: in the "new" Foregone Destruction a gigantic portal has been added to the center of the map, and by changing the position of some weapons the team hopes to stimulate players to move more often, so as to make the experience more fun and dynamic. Over time it is expected that the same modernization work will be done gradually for all the maps currently in the game, although at the moment it is not yet clear a timetable for future seasons.

The Evolution mode

Taking a cue from Rocket League, the developers of Splitgate will insert new skins for the weapons, some related to the rank reached, others much more themed In Season 1 of Splitgate a couple of new modes will be added. One of these is Evolution, a variant of Showdown mode in which the team that loses the round gets better equipment to use in the next round. "That way you are more likely to see some interesting comebacks," says Proulx. "If my team is much stronger than yours we would end up facing a team armed with rocket launchers using only pistols at the last round. At that point your team will probably win, and so we will have to try to beat you using automatic rifles. . And so on".

The second mode added is a Capture the Flag with a single flag, a variant well known to Halo Infinite players in which the two teams take turns attacking and defending, trying to capture the opposing flag or protect it. in its base. "Over time we have experimented with numerous Capture the Flag alternatives, but I am convinced that this is the variant that works best," admits the developer.

Is this Spartan?

The similarities with Halo contributed in part to Splitgate's success. They certainly did on PlayStation 5, where 1047 Games' free-to-play downloads increased dramatically right after the launch of Halo Infinite on Xbox and PC. Yet, despite being a great lover of Halo since he was a student, Ian Proulx hopes that Splitgate will be approached less and less to the 343 Industries shooter, from gaming experience but especially from an aesthetic point of view. "Over time we would like to give Splitgate an ever more unique artistic style. Something distinctive that makes people see an image and say 'this is clearly Splitgate'".

The Arena Editor

The Splitgate map editor will be available on both PC and console but the team intends to enrich and improve it over time The last few minutes spent in the company of the development team allowed us to take a look at the arena editor , probably the heaviest and most interesting addition to Splitgate Season 1. Usable on both PC and console, the map editor allows you to create a level by freely adding blocks, portal-walls, ramps, bridges and bleachers. "The only limit will be the area in which it is possible to build, but you can indulge yourself by inserting as many objects and as many portals as you want", explained Proulx. Up to eight friends online will be able to collaborate in real time to create an arena to use in any mode, against other players or against bots.

At launch the editor will not allow you to aesthetically customize the scenario, add textures or change the lighting, and there is not even a menu to search and discover the most popular maps. "Once you've created a map," explains the developer, "you can host a game and invite other players to try it. If a player likes your map, he can save it after the match is over." This is a very basic system at the moment, but Proulx and his team already intend to enrich the editor guided by community feedback, and in the future new customization options and new tools will be introduced to share maps or find those of the other players.

With a growing team at work, Splitgate's horizon looks richer and more ambitious than ever. If Season 1 of Splitgate is indicative of what lies ahead, the the future looks exciting for both the community and the development team itself. "First of all, I don't want to hear about server problems anymore", explains Proulx, who tells us how his team intends to reach 100 employees over the next year, and how part of these resources will be dedicated to strengthening the technology. at the base of the game. The rest will serve to constantly add new meat to the fire: "Much of the success of popular games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone is linked to the quantity and frequency of new content. Obviously we are not aiming to become as big as Fortnite, but we would like to grow just enough to ensure the Splitgate community a continuous flow of news and updates ".

Have you noticed any errors?