Splitgate studio reveals its new game, looks a lot like its old game

Splitgate studio 1047 Games said in March that it was working on something new, and now we know what it is: A "fast-paced 6v6 movement shooter" called Empulse.

No, that's not a typo, it's literally "Empulse," reasons for which I assume will be made clear later. For now, 1047's new game sounds quite a bit like its old game:

"In Empulse, movement is at the core of every fight," the not-very-detailed Steam listing states. "Wallrun forwards and backwards, swing with a grapple hook, launch off Holojumps, and alter surfaces with P.A.I.N.T. bombs to gain tactical advantage. Every district in Freehold gives you the surfaces, the verticality, and the routes to chain together movement and find your flowstate."

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Splitgate, and its successor Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, are also "fast-paced multiplayer shooters" with funky traversal systems that enable players to get around quickly and in unexpected ways. Empulse is clearly aiming for something a little bit different and perhaps more conventional in that regard, although it's not clear what exactly a P.A.I.N.T. bomb is, how it will alter surfaces, or what advantages are to be gained from it.

At this point, 1047 has only released a handful of screens, none of which are particularly illuminating on that front:

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(Image credit: 1047 Games)

(Image credit: 1047 Games)

(Image credit: 1047 Games)

(Image credit: 1047 Games)

(Image credit: 1047 Games)

There is one other interesting twist in Empulse, though: The presence of player-controlled mechs, "with heavy weapons, unique abilities, and a massive health pool" that will spawn into the game, to be taken over by players. Very broadly, that's maybe sort of reminiscent of Titanfall, and I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of references to that game while talking about this one; to my metaphorical ear, though, it sounds a lot more like Highguard, with teams fighting for control of a big gun, which they can then use to put a whompin' on the other guys. That's not to suggest that I think Empulse is going to end up like Highguard—only that it doesn't really sound like Titanfall to me.

Whatever it ends up being, it's fair to say that 1047 needs it to be a hit. The original Splitgate: Arena Warfare was a surprise banger, but Splitgate 2 was a botch. Now known as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, its user reviews on Steam have improved but it still hasn't attracted nearly the numbers of its predecessor. At this point, five months after its relaunch, I'd have to guess it's not going to.

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We'll no doubt be learning more about that, and other aspects of the game, soon enough: Empulse is set to launch into early access later this year, and you can sign up for access now at playempulse,com.