1047 Games’ free-to-play arena shooter SPLITGATE 2 is having yet another lackluster launch. The first-person arena shooter, originally released on PCs and consoles in June 2025, returned to beta after just one month following negative player sentiment and shrinking daily active user (DAU) counts. Studio 1047 Games released a revised version of the title, now called SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded, on December 17, 2025. Based on new Steam user data, however, it seems the title has once again failed to resonate with fans.
‘SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded’ DAUs dwindle
According to numerous new posts on X (formerly Twitter), SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded player stats have taken a tumble reminiscent of its earlier version’s downturn. Social media users shared screenshots from Steam data aggregator SteamDB. “Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the relaunch of Splitgate 2, is averaging just over 1,000 players on Steam,” wrote content creator and X user Jake Lucky on January 1, 2026. In the 18 hours since Lucky’s upload, his reported SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded DAUs fell considerably. At the time of writing, just 400 Steam users are in-game. For comparison, DAUs following the game’s June 2025 release peaked at nearly 26,000 users.
According to Insider Gaming, SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded has a Twitch audience comprising just 134 users. At its peak, the arena shooter boasted a Twitch audience of nearly 140,000 viewers.
What’s the deal?
The SPLITGATE sequel’s journey to shelves and digital distributors saw some hurdles, some of which earned a spot on the game’s Wikipedia “Controversies” tab. Let’s rewind:
May 2025. SPLITGATE 2‘s beta launched and subsequently fell apart thanks to unreliable servers.
June 2025. At Summer Game Fest on June 6, 1047 Games’ CEO Ian Proulx took the stage donning a “Make FPS Great Again” hat. The controversial cap, alongside pricy microtransactions and Proulx’s cutting comments regarding beloved first-person shooters like Halo, fueled criticism from players inside and outside of the games industry. 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs near the end of the month.
July 2025. 1047 Games announced it would bring SPLITGATE 2 back to beta. Additionally, 1047 Games began a second round of layoffs.
November 2025. Studio 1047 Games shared it would relaunch SPLITGATE 2 as SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded in December. The re-release, according to the studio, would include new weapons, some redesigned visuals, and enhanced gameplay.
December 2025. SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded releases on December 17, peaking at about 2,300 DAUs.
There’s no definitive way to blame any one PR nightmare for poor reception, but it’s not unlikely that a series of unsavory headlines and social media posts soured some players. SPLITGATE 2 was only available for a month before the studio pulled it back to beta; as we head into a new year, there’s a chance 1047 Games issues additional updates — or more dramatic changes — in the coming weeks.
Were you among those turned off by any SPLITGATE 2 controversies? Let us know in the comments. Wanna see the game for yourself? Start with the SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded teaser trailer.
RELATED:
