It’s been an interesting year for arena shooters, as new games helped breathe some fresh life into the genre. The most notable areSplitgateandHalo Infinite,both major players in their own right. WhileSplitgate wasreleased a few years ago, major content updates brought it back into the conversation this year. Now,Splitgatedeveloper 1047 Gameshas highlighted how it and 343 Industries can help each other.
Splitgate,which is heavilyinfluenced byHalo,saw a surge of popularity on consoles upon being ported, though fears that it would be overshadowed byHalo Infinitecirculated in the community. However, speaking to The Loadout recently, 1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx stated that he wasn’t worried about howHalo Infinitecould affectSplitgate.Rather, Proulx has an entirely different point of view.
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According to Proulx,Halo InfiniteandSplitgatecaneven help each other. Proulx stated that “there’s just so much noise and so many battle royales right now,” but thatHalo InfiniteandSplitgate"are bringing people over to the arena shooter genre." Proulx went on to state that many kids haven’t played foundational arena shooters likeQuakeandUnreal Tournament,and that the exposure fromHalo InfiniteandSplitgateis good for the entire genre.
Proulx also revealed thatSplitgate’splayer count has grown on PlayStation consoles sinceHalo Infinitelaunched, indicating that gamers are looking for a similar experience outside of the Xbox ecosystem. Growing that influence on other platforms may prove to be fruitful for 1047 Games, as there are no real alternatives in the public eye besidesSplitgatewhen it comes to scratching theHaloitch. However, the overall player count inSplitgateisn’t as high as it was in the summer, though Proulx is apparently looking to rebuild the player base over the course of the next year.
Notably,Splitgateis still in its early phase, having not even been released out of early access yet. A 1.0 launch was slated for earlier this year, but was delayed to ensure the best product possible. So far, 1047 Games has done a solid job of keepingSplitgaterelevant, and the full release may be enough to further invigorate the player base. Interestingly, bothHalo InfiniteandSplitgateoffer their multiplayer components for free, which may also affect how future arena shooter games enter the market. Free-to-play isn’t always the most well-received, though it’s part of a larger trend in the games industry.
