It's been an interesting year for arena shooters, as new games helped breathe some fresh life into the genre. The most notable are Splitgate and Halo Infinite, both major players in their own right. While Splitgate was released a few years ago, major content updates brought it back into the conversation this year. Now, Splitgate developer 1047 Games has highlighted how it and 343 Industries can help each other.
Splitgate, which is heavily influenced by Halo, saw a surge of popularity on consoles upon being ported, though fears that it would be overshadowed by Halo Infinite circulated in the community. However, speaking to The Loadout recently, 1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx stated that he wasn't worried about how Halo Infinite could affect Splitgate. Rather, Proulx has an entirely different point of view.
According to Proulx, Halo Infinite and Splitgate can even help each other. Proulx stated that "there’s just so much noise and so many battle royales right now," but that Halo Infinite and Splitgate "are bringing people over to the arena shooter genre." Proulx went on to state that many kids haven't played foundational arena shooters like Quake and Unreal Tournament, and that the exposure from Halo Infinite and Splitgate is good for the entire genre.
Proulx also revealed that Splitgate's player count has grown on PlayStation consoles since Halo Infinite launched, 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 besides Splitgate when it comes to scratching the Halo itch. However, the overall player count in Splitgate isn'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, Splitgate is 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 keeping Splitgate relevant, and the full release may be enough to further invigorate the player base. Interestingly, both Halo Infinite and Splitgate offer 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.
Halo Infinite and Splitgate are available now.
Source: The Loadout