The new shooter Splitgate tested crossplay between PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam during an open beta before its release. So many players joined that the servers were insufficient, causing the release to be postponed.
What kind of shooter is this? Splitgate is an old-school shooter in the style of Unreal Tournament from indie developer 1047 Games. The special twist of the sci-fi shooter is that you use portals like in the game Portal to move to different locations on the map.
It is played traditionally in over 20 arenas against other players in 15 different modes with currently 11 futuristic and semi-realistic weapons. The speed and visuals remind somewhat of the popular Halo series.
The key point about Splitgate is that through the portals you not only reach other locations but also literally tear holes in space. They connect two points, and you can even use them to take down opponents. This creates a unique dynamic where no place is truly “safe”.
Splitgate has been playable in early access since 2019 and has been in open beta for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC (Steam) since July 13. The beta is currently extended, and Splitgate will be free to play. You can find the downloads for your platform on the official website (via splitgate.com).
How well is Splitgate received: Alone on Steam, Splitgate attracted a peak of 14,625 players during the beta (via steamcharts.com). According to the developers, the number was even significantly higher across all platforms combined: 65,536 players reportedly played simultaneously (via Twitter.com). Previously, the average on Steam was about 200-300 players.
The response is “very positive” on Steam. 92% of the 5,672 recent reviews and 87% of all 19,273 reviews are positive. Players particularly praise the simplicity of the shooter: It’s just Portal with guns and just as fun as it sounds. A good shooter without much fuss.
Only bugs and some server issues are criticized, although the server issues apparently arose due to the unexpected influx.
Beta stresses servers, release must be postponed
The number of 65,536 players is no coincidence for the developers but, according to statements, the absolute maximum possible. The servers allegedly cannot support more, no matter how much further optimization is done.
Fortunately, the devs received a financial boost of $10 million (approximately €8.49 million) to improve the server structure (via GameSpot.com). However, they will need more time for this.
The release originally scheduled for today, July 27, will be postponed to August. A specific release date is still pending.
Splitgate will later appear for free on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). The shooter will support crossplay and is said to run surprisingly well on consoles according to some players.
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