Splitgate's developers want to accomplish before leaving beta
Splitgate began its journey into open beta in 2019, but it was a streamer-driven surge in 2021 that transformed the game from indie arena shooter into online multiplayer juggernaut. Since then, the game has had over 10 million downloads and secured a $100 million investment to evolve its development.
After all that time, you might assume that the game had left Beta and fully launched, but it actually hasn't. Developer 1047 Games has kept adding new maps, new game modes, and a new leveling system, but that doesn't mean the game is ready for "prime time" just yet.
What does a live service game (especially one from a smaller team) need to do before formally hitting that "launch" button? Ian Proulx, CEO and co-founder of 1047 Games, was willing to share some nuts-and-bolts details of how developers can make the most of the live service model.
Proulx sorted the company's goals into four categories: making the game feature-complete, making it a "triple-A product," building servers that can handle "infinite scale," and assembling a team that can continuously produce content.
In Splitgate's most recent update, 1047 updated one of the maps that shipped in the game's first season: an underground ruin called "Abyss." "You could argue that from a live service product perspective, you would want to be adding new maps, not overhauling existing ones," Proulx pointed out. But he said that making this "trade-off" was one of the steps the team need to hit the "triple-A product" level it's targeting.
What does "triple-A" mean to Proulx? He described it as game elements like maps, guns, and user interface as being "polished" but also as also having a "unique look." Many features in Splitgate were developed by a smaller team, who use shortcuts
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