Splitgate Developers Address Low Steam Player Counts: “Fun Can’t Be Measured by Steam Charts”

It’s safe to say that 1047 Games had a challenging year in 2025.

Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, formerly known as Splitgate 2, hit the scene in June last year. Unfortunately, it didn’t fare well, receiving lukewarm responses from both players and critics. This launch followed a PR blunder at Summer Games Fest, where founder Ian Proulx made headlines by wearing a “Make FPS Great Again” hat, which many found insensitive given the ongoing ICE raids in the Los Angeles area. As a result, goodwill towards Splitgate plummeted, and just a month after its launch, 1047 decided to revert the game back to beta.

The game made its comeback on December 4, 2025, as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. However, its peak player count on Steam was under 3,000, a stark contrast to the initial launch, which boasted over 10,000 players on day one and peaked at over 20,000. These numbers are concerning, but instead of ignoring the chatter surrounding the launch, 1047 Games chose to confront the situation directly.

In a post on X, the development team addressed the Steam Charts figures.

“Steam Charts don’t measure fun. They reflect one number, on one platform, at a specific moment. They don’t capture the complete picture or the experience of playing, nor do they represent the community actively shaping what Arena Reloaded is becoming (including upcoming content like Arena Royale),” the developers stated.

“Over the past six months, we’ve rebuilt Splitgate from the ground up because we believe in the game, our team, and our community. The 1047 team is dedicated to delivering the best version of Splitgate possible. To our amazing community: thank you. Your feedback and passion have made Arena Reloaded better every day.”

“And for those who haven’t tried it yet: Arena Reloaded is free, the gameplay is the best it’s ever been, and we invite you to jump in and form your own opinion. A lot of passionate people have put in hard work to make it happen.”

The shooter landscape is much more competitive now than it was during the original launch of Splitgate 2 in June. With titles like Arc Raiders, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, and more on the horizon, Arena Reloaded needs to carve out its niche. While there’s still potential for 1047 Games to turn things around, especially with promises of new content, the competition is fierce.

Proulx previously discussed the importance of regaining the trust of the Splitgate community after a rocky launch, referencing other games like Warframe that faced similar challenges but managed to relaunch successfully. However, a month post-relaunch, it’s evident that the Splitgate team has a long road ahead to rebuild that trust and win back players.