Splitgate Beta Season 1 adds a Map Creator, new modes, and cosmetics

Splitgate Season 0 served as a jumping-off point for both players of the first-person shooter and developers 1047 Games. With Season 0 concluding soon, 1047 is ushering in a new era of the arena shooter with Splitgate Beta Season 1. This season brings several new changes and features, including a Map Creator. I got to learn more about Splitgate Beta Season 1 during a presentation with the developers.

More ways to play

The biggest addition in Splitgate Beta Season 1 is the Map Creator. With this, players will be given access to a suite of tools that will allow them to create their own arenas, placing structures, weapons, and portal walls. They can even determine objective and scoring options for the match. What’s more, up to eight players can work together to create a map simultaneously, putting an emphasis on player collaboration.

Once a map has been created, creators can host games both privately and publicly. Opening a custom map lobby up to the public will allow anyone from around the world to join and witness your creation, and they’ll even have the option to download it so that they can play it on their own time if they like. If you’re not the creative type, you’ll be able to scour online lobbies to see what other players have conjured up, with the option to download their maps as well.

Splitgate Beta Season 1 introduces Capture the Flag, but with a couple of twists. In Splitgate’s take on the iconic mode, there will be a single flag, and teams will take turns playing offense and defense. The mode is round-based and points will be scored by successfully capturing the flag or preventing a team from doing so in a round.

What’s more, the player holding the flag will not be able to teleport. 1047 Games had been looking for a way to properly implement CTF into Splitgate and found that this was the best way to do it, as having the flag carrier zipping in and out of portals just proved to disrupt the flow of a match.

Revamps and restructuring

Players will also notice some smaller changes when they jump into Splitgate Beta Season 1. The developers have moved around and removed the spawns of some weapons in the name of balancing. One specific example they gave me was with the map Stadium. Stadium previously had several Power Weapon spawns, allowing the momentum to swing heavily in favor of one team if they managed to control all of them. Stadium will have fewer Power Weapons in Beta Season 1.

Of course, players can expect a slew of new cosmetics in Splitgate Beta Season 1. This includes a new Battle Pass that will yield rewards as players level up, as well as new items that can be purchased from the shop. One of the premier cosmetics this season is the Legendary Estranged set, which features several different themed items. There’s also a new Referral Pass, as 1047 Games wants to continue to reward players for getting their friends into Splitgate.

Splitgate Beta Season 1 is looking to take the arena shooter to the next level. Developer 1047 Games also expressed a desire to continue growing its team and to eventually become a AAA studio. Splitgate Beta Season 1 starts on January 26, 2022.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_