Ian Proulx, CEO of Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games, continued his criticism of modern first-person shooters on social media after explicitly calling out Call of Duty during Summer Game Fest.
During the June 6 showcase, Proulx, appearing on stage alongside host Geoff Keighley to promote Splitgate 2, said he was “tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year,” had spent his youth playing Halo, and his desire to see a third Titanfall game.
Primarily appearing at SGF to promote a free battle royale mode for the sequel, Proulx’s choice of headwear, a hat featuring the slogan ‘Make FPS Great Again’, combined with his comments on Call of Duty, drew criticism from viewers.
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Splitgate 2 dev responds after Summer Game Fest
“I’m not here to apologize but I am here to clarify,” Proulx stated in a post on the official Splitgate 2 Twitter/X account, adding, “This is not a political statement, it is quite literally what it says, so take it at face value.”
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“The state of multiplayer FPS games is tragically stale. We hope to fix that, whether you want Arena, Battle Royale, Onslaught, or Map Creator,” he continued.
I’m not here to apologize but I am here to clarify. This is not a political statement, it is quite literally what it says, so take it at face value.
The state of multiplayer FPS games is tragically stale. We hope to fix that, whether you want Arena, Battle Royale, Onslaught, or… pic.twitter.com/ihMsPZCeZH
— Splitgate 2: live now! (@Splitgate) June 7, 2025
Following Proulx’s comments, numerous responses pointed out that Splitgate 2 features numerous in-game microtransaction options, many being comparable in their contents to Call of Duty.
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“So Splitgate 2 stealth drops a Resurgence-style BR for free, which is cool,” YouTuber JGOD said, adding, “But also decide to drop a $140+ bundle that is advertised as 45% off. ‘Make FPS Great Again, though, hahaha.”
“You threw shade at Call of Duty on stage but copied Warzone’s mechanics for your battle royale and dropped an $80 bundle in Splitgate 2,” one response to Proulx’s post stated.
“I don’t think the game is bad at all. I loved the first Splitgate too. I played it and put money into it. I just pointed out the dissing of other FPS games, then bringing those practices to your game,” the same poster added, prompting 1047 Games to respond.
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“We think we’ve put a unique spin on the aspects we share with other games. Monetization is always controversial, but it’s also optional. Glad to hear you enjoyed the last game, hope you enjoy this one too.”
What exactly Proulx meant by calling modern FPS games “tragically stale” isn’t clear but, at least as far as microtransactions go, fans of the genre clearly aren’t convinced that Splitgate 2 does enough to distance itself from the competition.
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