Splitgate 2 boss apologizes for Summer Game Fest stunt: ‘We needed something to grab attention’

1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx has apologized for the “Make FPS Great Again” hat he wore on stage during Summer Games Fest in Los Angeles.

Proulx appeared in a segment last week during the Geoff Keighley-hosted show, in which he announced a battle royale mode for Splitgate 2, and criticised the state of the shooter genre.

However, it was the CEO’s MAGA-style hat that attracted attention from viewers, due to its obvious political connotations – especially during the weekend when President Donald Trump deployed National Guard members to Los Angeles – the same city where Summer Game Fest is held – amid major protests around immigration raids.

Initially, Proulx had declined to apologize for his choice of attire, claiming on social media that he was not making a political statement and that viewers should take his appearance “at face value”.

Days later, however, the CEO has decided to publish an apology, admitting on the official Splitgate social media accounts that his MAGA-style hat was a marketing stunt gone wrong.

“At our biggest stage, coming out of beta, we needed something to grab attention, and the honest truth is we tried to think of something, and this is what we came up with,” he said in the video.

“We did not intend for this to be taken in any political way whatsoever. And I’m not an idiot: obviously I knew there would be some level of controversy.

“But we really saw this as a meme that was stating our truth, which is we do want to improve this genre and we are disappointed with the state of the genre.”

He added: “The truth is I am sorry, and the reason I’m sorry is because of what this has done to the community… There’s division in the community, and for that I am truly sorry.”