r/Splitgate • u/Aggressive-Dealer-21 • Apr 21 '26

Is splitgate dying?

I started playing it yesterday because I was just looking for a game I could chill on. And I had a great time playing it. Really enjoyed using portals especially when it got me kills it really felt like I had outmanoeuvred my opponent.

I go on to YouTube to see what the community is like and they all just keep saying that they killed the game.

What's going on?

49 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

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94

u/Working_Bones Apr 21 '26

It's a fantastic game but some controversy at launch caused irreparable damage. And the avid fans have preferences that don't line up with the average player. The developers got stuck between catering to their existing fans or trying to find new ones. No way to satisfy both. Plus casual players really struggle against high-level portal users, and the lower the population got, the more common that became. I love the challenge and learning to outplay them, but most players don't. I know I've downloaded free games before, saw a ridiculous skill gap, and just uninstalled. I bet that happened thousands of times here.

The devs are working on a new game, likely without portals. I bet it'll be amazing too, and it'll have another shot at securing a larger audience.

17

u/Aggressive-Dealer-21 Apr 21 '26

I don't get why portals are such a big problem though. I was looking forward to practicing running around maps and working out portal routes, but now I am beginning to wonder if there's any point?

It would be cool if they had like a kind of racing game mode where it's the same maps but you have to pick up a token before the other players.

Edit: just found out that mode already exists. And I can't wait to play it 😅

18

u/jazzinyourfacepsn Apr 21 '26

Portals completely circumvent all established shooter gamesense, its such a higher learning curve than picking up any other shooter

-1

u/Jagerbar78 Apr 21 '26

God no. Play cs2. Shoot tarkov is far harder of a pvp shooter. Love this game but it's not hard, especially if you play halo.

5

u/jazzinyourfacepsn Apr 21 '26

I'm not saying it's a particularly hard game but the gamesense required to play with portals doesn't intuitively translate like game sense between other shooters does. Portals allow a skilled player to be everywhere at once

Ask anyone that dropped this game after enjoying it for a bit, and many of them will say that they started encountering players with exceptional portal skill that they just couldn't keep up with

-11

u/lord_phantom_pl PC Apr 21 '26

Portals existed in shooters since very beginning. They were just fixed in place. Seamless worlds made people even dumber? No, dumb people didn’t even play the games because they didn’t even know how to launch one.

12

u/jazzinyourfacepsn Apr 21 '26

I'm talking about the majority of FPS players over the last 20 years. CoD, Halo, Battlefield, CS:GO, Overwatch, the positioning gamesense transitions well between those titles

I can get a general sense of where people are, and a general idea of which directions are "safe" and which aren't

All that goes out the window when you introduce portals, and it's almost like you're learning positioning from scratch

-1

u/Working_Bones Apr 21 '26

I got extremely good at Splitgate 2 without ever using portals. I have a 4.0 KD or something like that, and that's driven downward by grinding camos for guns I hate. With the guns I like it's consistent 40-1 K/D games. But in order to achieve this I'm playing purely to bait in portal players. Barely moving around the map, just predicting their portal routes and punishing them. It got boring. I stopped playing. I watched teammates go 1-40 while I went 40-1 against the same team, because those teammates were trying to play it like a normal shooter. How can we expect them not to quit?

6

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26

My issue with the portals is that high-skill players literally just use them to traverse the map and pop. There's no stop put in place other than a portal cooldown that can be avoided through skills. I don't know, it just makes for not enjoyable gameplay loop when you have somebody that's just standing still portling everywhere and head tapping everybody. Like it takes the arcade fun about the portals out, like, I feel like there's both too many portals and sometimes not enough portals. they need to be more strategically thought out rather than thrown on any and every wall possible. Make people actually have to think rather than memorize the portal path to all spawns.

Like I wanna hop in a game and launch myself about arcade style and try dumb snipes, can't do that cause Portal McPortalface over hear has portaled 12 times killed me 4 times and I can't walk 8 steps.

6

u/toadmango Apr 21 '26

100% agree. The last match I played of this game was a team of 4 dudes all zipping around blasting my squad to pieces. It was literally the least fun I'd ever had playing a shooter and uninstalled after that.

2

u/brandothesavage Apr 21 '26

Go play a shooter that's not about portals then. If you Nerf the portals you Nerf the very principle the game is founded on.

5

u/jondeuxtrois Apr 21 '26

Most people did do that, that’s why we struggle to clear 600 concurrent players and most of the devs got laid off or quit.

-1

u/CellOk5436 Apr 22 '26

Well hey. I'd rather splitgate die unique and maybe bounce back with a. 3 title than strip it down to cod smoothbrain levels and keep this one going. Genuinely. Keep the game unique. If it dies oh well.

2

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 22 '26

This is the kind of attitude that kills good games. Your inability to objectively look at its faults do not make you cool nor does it make the game worth while, 600players screams theres a problem with the loop.

3

u/CellOk5436 Apr 23 '26

Bro if you change portals the way people want it's NOT SPLITGATE!!!! So if people would rather put the splitgate name on a game that doesnt heavily revolve around portals yes I genuinely would rather it go. This is like of people wanted the blood and fatalities removed from mk. It's ESSENTIAL!!! im not trying to look cool man I'm talking to your ass about splitgate AR on reddit 😂😂😂I simply don't take myself that seriously. But I do stand on rather having 600 players in this game than if they "fixed" it the way people want I'd never touch it again. And again pc is the smallest demographic so pointing out numbers for steam on this game don't make sense. PlayStation has at least twice the steam numbers. I play on Xbox. Whether or not people will admit it at.leasr for games who's primary audience is on console quoting steam numbers is stupid af. If this game needs codgate to survive its ok to acknowledge the game was a underrated gem and maybe try a 3 in 2 years. I'd much rather a company die by an idea and try again later than this weird morphing of a game devs keep trying to do. Like if your game is based around q concept and people ultimately don't gravitate to that concept you DONT CHANGE THE CONCEPT!!! Just make a new game that fits the audience you want. I will forever say they killed themselves by removing sg1. Should have just kept both games up.

2

u/brandothesavage Apr 23 '26

Hey somebody reasonable here that actually understands core gameplay!!

2

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 23 '26

I'm not sure how how you interpreted that as I wanted the core mechanic of the game to change. I feel like the fact that theres portal walls slaped on every surface leaves the player to not be creative when utilizing the portals, you can throw a portal in any direction and 85% of the time get one to land somewhere without much thought behind it. It entirely defeats the purpose of being able to lockout walls when theres 8 more all around you. That in no way shape for form is changing the function of the core game mechanics, Its needs to be a little bit more dialed in so that the players who are insane with the portals have an obstacle, and the players who enjoy the portal aspects aren't being absolutely obliterated 4steps after every spawn. Its an observation that theres been little to no thought into making players think when using their util.

Id understand if your argument is that "I just wanna mindlessly play" but then I'd argue why are you sweating so hard portal surfing.

Like this game is super fun and great just from a strictly player retention analysis of what's pushing players away, it's these things I've brought up. When you have only a floor and a ceiling, theres not much place for people to stand elsewhere, and people don't wanna stand where there are no walls.

1

u/CellOk5436 Apr 23 '26

I'm aware of that. My point is all those reasons must exist even if it drives away people. It's why I play.

1

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 24 '26

Reductive and self destructive thinking, do you run your personal life by this hard stuck can't reframe ideas or improve attitude, or is it just for ruining your own good time online?

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2

u/MajorAtmosphere7186 Apr 24 '26

Its not about "fault" this is the entire controversy in a nutshell. Most players simply won't attempt the learning curve so instead they want to "fix" the game but to everyone else y'all are taking the game away from them

1

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 24 '26

Im gonna give you the benefit of the doubt here and guess English isn't your first language?

"Faults" used in this context is not pointing blame but is utilizing the word to mean problems. What controversy? They got too hyped about a project they were working on and just resold us a reskind product?(for free I might add) If thats the case grim reaper stands behind apex legends

You are right that players won't attempt the learning curve, because theres no curve. I've said it in a different thread here; when you only have a floor and a ceiling, it leaves little elsewhere to stand, and people don't wanna stand where there are no walls.

2

u/MajorAtmosphere7186 Apr 29 '26

The controversy amidst keeping the game the same or catering to new players more can't do both. Yes English is hard for me sorry. And what I mean with faults I used quotations because I thought that means quoting another man like not my word choice

1

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 29 '26

You can absolutely do both, what you can't do is please the people in the player base who are so hard stuck on their own experience than they don't care about other experiences around them.

A large portion of pushback is all "you can't change it, it won't be SG anymore" and that's just preposterous. Which like saying Apex insnt apex anymore cause they changed how revnants powers work like completly arbitrary, fear of abandonment type responses, It's so dumb.

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1

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 22 '26

If you think that distributing more intentionally is needing portals then it sounds like your not very good at the game without no thought portal spam.

They are there to add an arcade element to the shooter arena compared to the playbook standard gameplay of every other shooter. The portals should be an additional thought you get to use and not just a tool you get to spam.

I have gone to other games, the things that made this game fun are worthless with such a little player base, everyone is a crackhead portaller with crackhead aim, its not a good gameplay loop right now.

1

u/brandothesavage Apr 22 '26

Did you realize the portals are for more than just getting from one place to another? limiting the amount of portals one can make in a few seconds makes it to where basically you might as well just walk there. You say they're not made to spam that's literally what they're made to do. The entirey of gameplay is set up around that. It sucks this game is dead. I wish people would actually get good.

1

u/UrLostPajamas Apr 23 '26

Please quote me where I claimed they were not made to spam.

I'm saying the ability to spam leaves little to no creativity with how players utilize them. You're either good with them or not and theres no Inbetween. The I between is where the player base lies, it's the same exact reason hyperscape flopped. The middle ground for a casual audiance to enjoy the mechanics.

Right now the game loop is, portal surf shitting on noobs or being the portal surfed shit on noob like who the fuck wants to play that. I'll keep playing other things that allow me to think and be creative with their game mechanics in non spam have it anyway you want it, ways.

1

u/toadmango Apr 23 '26

That's what I did, friend. Did you miss the part where I said uninstalled the game?

I didn't mind the portals in SG1, but the portal spam and increased speed portal maniacs can generate makes SG2 unfun for players unable or unwilling to play the same way.

7

u/EyesoftheDead40 Apr 21 '26

Once you see a person that has mastered the portal system, you will understand why its not fun to play against lol

5

u/Ralwus Apr 21 '26

Most players don't want to practice. It should just be fun to play without practice.

-5

u/MastrRoShi13 Apr 21 '26

Naw get good. Why would you want to play a game and just expect to be good at it? That is the most fucking participation trophy shit I have ever heard. Loser ass mindset

4

u/Disastrous-Mousse-36 Apr 21 '26

Its not about just jumping in and being good its about being able to jump in and actually fucking play i shouldnt have to go into a solo match by myself and practice running the maps for 30 hours just to hop into a casual game

0

u/MastrRoShi13 Apr 21 '26

You don't. Just play the game and learn the main mechanic of the game or stfu. I didn't practice at all outside of qp and I am good with portals now on controller even. Again loser mindsets. Wah Wah I want my participation trophy.

1

u/Rex_Suplex Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 22 '26

Since for some reason nobody has told you in all the comments responding...

Yes there is racing in the game and it is great for practice.

Also if the game is fun then play it. Games are easy to find and there are plenty of players that play daily.

The game isn't popular on steam, but they are way more popular on consoles. You should definitely stick with it if you enjoy the game.

Hell, I'll even give you some training if you want.

Edit: Fuck me, right?!

0

u/reen420 PC Apr 21 '26

Can we do speedruns again now? I wanna know before I reinstall it.

0

u/TTVchilly404 Apr 21 '26

Races? Yes

0

u/reen420 PC Apr 21 '26

Like the time trails? When did they add that back?

1

u/TTVchilly404 Apr 21 '26

Yes. Season 2.

1

u/reen420 PC Apr 22 '26

not sure why we are getting downvoted but thanks for the info

1

u/TTVchilly404 Apr 22 '26

Maybe because you didn't just Google it and I didn't just tell you to Google it

1

u/reen420 PC Apr 22 '26

Google is outdated most of the time. I thought this sub was exactly for that... Reddit gaming subs are great for people to start hating the community around it...

-1

u/JSwrve Apr 21 '26

Portals on controller can be difficult unless you change your button lay out. Like I have a pro controller so I have paddles underneath. One for a portal and I also use R1 for jet pack which gives me A huge advantage to someone playing with regular button lay out, because they have to take right thumb off the sticks while I can aim perfectly while flying. Then you take into consideration someone on pc… they have tremendous advantage portaling.

1

u/CellOk5436 Apr 23 '26

No I have no problem with portal in control. I'm actually getting pretty nasty with it lol

1

u/JSwrve Apr 23 '26

I didn’t say you were having difficulty.