Schismgate: Arena Reloaded is bringing back the Halo and Portal shooter after a rough year

After some very public missteps and Unprecedented return to betaSplitgate hopes to make a comeback under a new name. At the PC Gaming Show, 1047 Games announced that Splitgate 2 will return as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded on December 17, with dramatic changes to gameplay and progression designed to bring the shooter closer to its roots.

According to 1047 Games design director Josh Watson, the studio has been rebuilding the game “from the ground up,” blending and perfecting the best elements from both Splitgate games while “removing the stuff that didn't work.” In the video announcement, Watson singled out Unreal Tournament, Quake, and Halo as major inspirations for Splitgate.

To that end, the rebooted Splitgate will be missing the factions and abilities introduced in Splitgate 2 for a more “classic arena combat” experience. Arena Reloaded also includes a redesigned progression and ranking system, as well as reduced in-game store prices; Splitgate 2's microtransactions were a major pain point for players when the game first launched.

In addition, Splitgate: Arena Unloaded adds five new maps, six “completely reworked” maps, three new primary weapons, and a railgun-powered weapon. 1047 Games emphasizes that all new additions are based on community feedback gained through public playtests.

1047 Games announced last month Splitgate 2 beta ends on December 4ththe game will go offline before restarting. Like Division 2, Arena Reloaded will be free to play on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Splitgate 2 first launched as a public beta in May, before being officially released in June. After 1047 Games sparked public controversy by wearing a “Make FPS Great Again” hat at the Summer Games Festival, as well as microtransaction complaints and Developer layoffsthe game resumed testing in July.