Unfortunately, it’s that time of the month again. Yesterday, Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games shared a post on LinkedIn announcing that layoffs had taken place at the company. It was described as a “small group of valued 1047 Games team members,” but as is par for the course for games industry layoffs, there was no mention of how many have been laid off – though of course the usual spiel about “redirecting resources” to make the game better. You know, classic corporation speak.
Splitgate 2 developer 1047 Games has confirmed an undisclosed number of layoffs, with the co-founders of the studio opting not to take salaries as they bid to turn things around.
The free-to-play ‘Halo with portals’ shooter launched under a cloud after co-founder and director Ian Proulx took to the Summer Game Fest stage wearing a hat that read ‘Make FPS Great Again.’ During his speech, Proulx called out Call of Duty in what was considered a marketing gaffe.
When Splitgate 2 launched, it did so with a battle royale mode and a heavily criticized $145 microtransaction bundle. Splitgate 2 saw a peak concurrent player count of 25,785 on Steam, well below Splitgate’s 67,724 peak concurrent player count. Steam user reviews remain on ‘mixed.’
Steam stats do not paint the whole picture, of course, given Splitgate 2 launched across consoles as well as PC. Indeed, 1047 Games has said Splitgate 2 has had over 2.5 million players. But clearly, things have not gone as well as the studio had hoped. In an interview with IGN shortly after launch, Proulx said he was “surprised” by the reaction, admitting “we didn’t expect this to be nearly as controversial as it was and we didn’t intend for it to be.”
Now, 1047 Games has suffered a round of layoffs, which it characterized as “a small group” of staff in a post on LinkedIn. Also in the post came confirmation that co-founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian have opted not to take salaries, as the studio aims to improve the game.
Here’s the statement in full:
Today we parted ways with a small group of valued 1047 Games team members. We’re still perfecting the Splitgate 2 gameplay experience in response to community feedback, and we are redirecting resources to build the best game for our players. We are sad to see our teammates go, and we are actively working to help them secure new opportunities. Further, our co-founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian have opted not to take salaries as we lock in to deliver the next phase of the project. Thank you to those who’ve built alongside us — we are sad to say goodbye and would not be here without you.
To everyone who’s playing Splitgate 2, we’re continuing to work hard to deliver more things we know you’ll love. We are committed to building this game for the long haul.
While 1047 did not specify how many were let go, or who exactly, a number of key staff have announced their departures across social media platforms. Meanwhile, Splitgate 2 had a 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 10,059 on Steam, with 4,437 players on Valve’s platform at the time of this article’s publication.
Splitgate 2 secured a 7/10 in IGN’s review. We said: “Splitgate 2 is a decent successor to the original that expands on it, but never really surpasses it.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
As it stands, Remedy Entertainment’s latest entry into their Connected Universe, FBC: Firebreak, is not doing so hot. Across the board it’s not been received entirely positively (including by our own James, you can read his review here), not exactly the ideal launch for a live service game. All the same, it being a live service game might ultimately be its benefit thanks to the power of that mystical force called “updates.” In a Steam post shared by the FBC: Firebreak team, some planned improvements were outlined, which certainly sound like they’d make for a better experience.
Grow a Garden has released its Summer update 1.11.0, propelling the Roblox game to comfortably the highest recorded concurrent player count in video game history. The patch notes are below.
The microtransaction-fueled free-to-play farming simulator had already shot past Fortnite’s concurrent peak of 15.3 million players, achieved during the Marvel-themed season finally back during Covid-era 2020, with an incredible 16.4 million concurrent players. At the time of this article’s publication, with players logging in for the Summer update, Grow a Garden was at an astonishing 21.3 million concurrents.
Summer’s here! Introducing our biggest update so far with all new seeds, pets, gear and the limited time Summer Harvest event to celebrate the coming of summer.
Explore the all new Summer Season and join forces with other gardeners to participate in the Summer Harvest event. This update brings brand new seeds, pets, craftable items, all new weather, features, and so much more in this Grow A Garden update! 😎🌴🌞
In Grow a Garden you do exactly that: grow a garden. Each new player starts off with a plot of land and 20 Sheckles, the in-game currency, to buy simple seeds for vegetables like carrots. Your garden even continues to grow while you’re offline.
The 16-year-old who created Grow a Garden in just a few days remains creatively involved in what it’s become but is no longer the only name attached. Roblox experience management company DoBig Studios and popular developer Janzen Madsen (a.k.a. Jandel) and his network of creators at Splitting Point are now also involved.
What is Grow a Garden in Roblox and why is it the most popular game in the world right now? #IGNSummerOfGaming pic.twitter.com/pOOwB7yIuQ
— IGN (@IGN) June 21, 2025
Grow a Garden’s success is down to tight update strategies and events as reliable draws for Roblox players, and this Summer update is a perfect example. Other recent examples include bringing in a DJ for entertainment and organizing a mass dance party.
Check out IGN’s feature, Roblox’s Grow a Garden Towers Above Even the Biggest Steam Games — but You Probably Have No Idea What It Is, to find out more.
Cosmetics:
We’ve been covering Grow a Garden and creating guides to explain features such as how gear works, a weather and mutation guide, and the different seeds that are available to purchase. You’ll also find information on updates such as the Lunar Glow Event and recent Pet Egg update that took place last month, and more over in our Grow a Garden guide.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Cowtastrophe.
After the best part of a decade with Mario Kart 8, we’d wager that you had probably grown pretty close to your main. You know, your main. The character that you picked to sit behind the wheel, regardless of the situation, because their weight class, look, or general vibe matched your playstyle perfectly.
But then Mario Kart World came along and shook those mains up. A new batch of racers have been added to the mix, but a huge batch have also fallen off the roster (pour one out for the Koopaling mains out there). After two weeks of open-world racing, huge swathes of us have found ourselves pivoting to a new racer, either drawn in by the shiny new faces, or rebounding from the loss of our go-to picks.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
You could say it’s off to a good start, then.
The Switch 2 is off to an amazing start all over the world, but in Japan, its success has been especially remarkable; it’s already the fastest-selling console in the nation’s history, outperforming even the mighty PS2.
With 947,931 consoles sold at launch, the Switch 2 overtook the 630,552 set by Sony’s second PlayStation. We now have the console’s second-week figures in, which make for some interesting reading. The hybrid system’s first-week momentum has slowed, as you might expect, but it has now sold 1,101,136 systems in its homeland.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Fans are already calling for a Switch 2 port.
It’s been a difficult year for the video game industry at times, but there are still plenty of success stories out there and the latest one is a sales milestone for the Lies of P developer Round8 Studio.
While we don’t have anything to report here about a Switch 2 release (at least for now), according to South Korean publication The Elec (via VGC), Korean publisher Neowiz is rewarding every member of the local development team with Nintendo’s brand-new system after the success of the new DLC ‘Overture’ and more than three million cumulative sales.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Make some space for DK (and Pauline).
Nintendo shared all sorts of new information about Donkey Kong Bananza during the title’s Direct earlier this week.
According to updated listings, Nintendo has been able to work its magic and reduce the game’s file size from 10GB down to 8.5GB. It’s not all that much, but given the size of various other titles on the Switch 2, we’re sure many users will appreciate the extra space.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
See you next time.
Deltarune made its debut on the Switch 2 earlier this month and now that chapters one to four are available, you might be wondering when the next one drops.
Well, it seems the end credits of the fourth episode have confirmed chapter 5 will be arriving in 2026. There’s no specific date attached to this release window, but it’s scheduled for some point next year. So, there you go!
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
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