Splitgate 2 quickly became the most-discussed game of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Summer Game Fest. Not thanks to innovative gameplay that gripped players’ attention, that award goes to Downhill, where the protagonist is uncomfortably aware that you’re controlling her actions. Not due to a compelling narrative that entices players in; that one’s Relooted. Neither is it because it’s a beloved IP being revived by a developer on a h*ck of a hot streak. Congratulations, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Expanse: Osiris Reborn.
No, everyone’s talking about 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Splitgate 2 because the developer announcing its battle royale mode wore a silly hat. The hat in question was a simple black hat, emblazoned with the words, ‘Make FPS Great Again’. It’s a hat in the sty𝔉le of US President Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ 🧸slogan hats or, more specifically, former senior advisor to the POTUS Elon Musk’s black variation on the hat. This hat is the reason why everyone’s talking about Splitgate 2.
1047 Games CEO Ian Proulx wore the hat as he proceeded to talk down the most successful FPS games around liꦉke Call of Duty and Apex Legends, enthusing that he wanted to make something different, something fresh and new. Following that up with the announcement of a battle royale mode in a game with $70 microtransactions and a trailer featuring Imagine Dragons is certainly a choice, but all was overshadowed by the unfortunate choice of headwear.
Proulx has since ‘clarified’ that he meant no political statement by the hat. It was just a joke, guys. Just banter. But we all know what Make X Great Again hats mean. We understand the connotations and the context of their existence. We live in a post-Trump world, and that world is darker because of his ascendency to become the most po𓆏werful man in the world. If you invoke his catchphrases, joking or not, you’re calling out to his supporters. You’re making your stance clear.
The Context
The hat alone might𓆉 not have been so egregio𓄧us if it were not for the riots currently happening in Los Angeles. Just from Summer Game Fest, who were trying to detain immigrants on the President’s orders. ICE is under President Trump’s direction, despite the fact that . You cannot remove this hat from that context.
As the crowds gathered in LA, ICE deployed tear gas and rubber bullets, reporting on the violence. A reminder, ICE is acting on the orders of the President, just a few streets away from SGF, where Proulx wore his President Trump-adjace🎉nt hat.
What I want to know, though, is why Proulx wore that hat. Was it to make a political statement? I doubt it. W🌳hile the horrible headwear ha♏s ensured that the worst people in our communities are now supporting Splitgate 2, I think Proulx would have doubled down on ‘anti-woke’ talking points by now if was intent on going all-in with that crowd.
While he has , none of the CEO’s responses have outright courted gamergate phrases. He hasn’t pulled out the usual buzzwords; there’s no mention of ‘DEI’ or ‘being cancelled’. Other than the hat itself, he has not courted this audience, unlike the developers of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Lords of the Fallen or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:No Rest For the Wicked.
“I’m not here to apolౠogize but I am here to clarify,” Proulx later , the plꦐatform owned by the man who made this style of black hat popular. “This is not a political statement, it is quite literally what it says, so take it at face value.”
If we take him at his word, then w♚hy wear a hat that was practical𓆉ly guaranteed to cause controversy? I blame Keanu Reeves.
Splitgate 2’s Summer Game Fest Moment
Ever since Reeves took to the stage to promote C൲yberpunk 2077 and had his “you’re breathtaking” moment, developers have been desperate to recreate that viral success. The problem is, that moment was entirely natural, completely unscripted. It was also at a showcase for one of the most 🥂hotly-anticipated games ever made, and was said by Keanu fl*pping Reeves. Attempts to recreate it are tired and futile.
Proulx also channelled 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Hazelight Studios director Josef 🦩Fares with his expletive-ridden speech. Fares made a name (and a meme) for himself by telling the Oscars exactly what he thought of them. Again, it felt natural and honest. Instead of aiming his crosshairs at a sort-of rival awards show, however, Proulx decided that hi🌼s fellow developers needed taking down a notch or two.
“I’m tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year,”💜 he said. “And I wish we could have Titanfꩲall 3.”
He followed these statements by showing a trailer for a battle royale mode (the same thing which, in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Apex Legends, many fans believe 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:‘killed’ Titanfall 3) with those same $🍬70 microtransactions th🅰at plague Call of Duty every year. He’s making FPS the same, again.
I’m not saying that the hat would have been fine if Splitgate 2 looked like the genuine article, that it would change the course of FPS history. But Proulx’s whole 🌱bit may have had a little more merit. As it stands Splitgate 2 is just an arena shooter, but with portals. The battl🍒e royale mode sure looks like a battle royale, but with portals. Splitgate 2 isn’t selling me on the FPS revolution Proulx promises.
Any Publicity Is Good Publicity
However, there’s one more reason that Proulx wore that hat. The same reason why anyone paid Geoff Keighley to showcase their game at his annual show. To get noticed. To stand out from the crowd. To get people talking about your game. And I hate to say it, but it worked. I didn’t watch any of SGF live – I have a newborn to look after, so I watch the advert⛎s back on my second monitor during work hours – but what games did I hear about from friends’ texts or social media posts? Splitgate 2. In fact, I saw very little about any other game until I dug further and watched the shows for myself.
Any publicity is good publicity, so they say. And I can’t help but feel that this rings true. Proulx’s controversial cap may have turned away the players who are more aware of its politi🐻cal implications, especially in the context of the ICE raids simultaneously being enacted in the same city. It may have courted a few more players drawn in by tentative promises of President Trump-aligned politics within the development team or the game itself. But mostly, it’s got a load of regular folks to hear about the game via organic social media buzz and articles like this one written by people who feel compelled to call out problematic, hypocritical behaviour. I hope it was worth it.
Splitgate 2 Opens To Mixed Steam Reviews Over 🌱Microtransactions, "Downgraded" Game Desig🗹n
Many are finding Splitgate 2 fun to play, but it's getting a lot 𝓰of heat for the $𒉰80 cosmetics bundle - which will be $145 once the sale ends.
