Splitgate 2, the shooter that ‘unlaunched’ after controversial marketing, doesn’t appear to have captivated players

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the relaunch of the troubled shooter Splitgate 2, appears to have failed to find a significant audience on Steam, averaging around 1,000 concurrent players.

Arena Reloaded was released on December 17. This relaunch of Splitgate 2 made significant changes to the game, and also saw the shooter released on console. According to developer 1047 Games, the game’s relaunch has gone well, with more players trying the game than ever.

“We had over 150,000 players try Splitgate: Arena Reloaded in its first five days, and we are excited to share that retention is the best it’s ever been,” claimed a blog post from the developers. 

“This signals that we are on the right path, and that players are enjoying the refined arena experience. As the weeks progress, we will continue to roll out updates, both major and minor, as we prepare for a broader marketing push in Q1 of 2026.”

However, according to Steam numbers, via SteamDB, player retention hasn’t been significant. Over the last week, the game has averaged a peak player count of around 1000 – a huge decline from the around 70,000 concurrents it attracted during its original beta.

These numbers obviously don’t give an insight into the performance on console, however, they do suggest that the relaunch of the game hasn’t attracted the size of audience that the first game managed.

1047 Games has announced a roadmap for the game that stretches to March, including new maps and weapons.

Splitgate 2 was released in June 2025 and faced low player numbers and mixed feedback. The following month, it was announced that the game would be “unlaunching” in order to be rebuilt.

The game launched amid controversy over a publicity stunt in which 1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx appeared on stage at Summer Games Fest wearing a “Make FPS Great Again” hat.

The CEO eventually apologized for the MAGA-style hat, which attracted attention from viewers due to its obvious political connotations, during a weekend when President Donald Trump deployed National Guard members to Los Angeles – the same city where Summer Game Fest is held.