Splitgate season 1 launches today and it brings new modes, skins, and battle passes. Most notably, developer 1047 added a map editor tool to the game that allows up to eight players to edit simultaneously.
The free-to-play shooter, best described as “Halo meets Portal,” became a viral sensation last year, which pushed back back some of the game’s updates as 1047 worked to scale its servers up. With Season 1, the game will receive its most significant update yet.
The star of the show is the map editor. The tool allows players to place objects to create their own multiplayer maps. They can place both simple shapes and walls that players can shoot portals onto. The editor is launching in an early state with seemingly few options available when it comes to art style, but 1047 says it’ll build out more features based on feedback.
The most notable detail about the editor is that it lets up to eight players work on a map at once. Players can’t touch an object if another player is moving or editing it, but otherwise all players are free to make changes at the same time. All maps save locally, which means that each player could save their own version of it and make changes to it later if they choose.
Maps will support bots and any player will be able to jump into a custom map. There won’t be a specific way to rate or sort maps, though 1047 is considering features like that for future updates.
Alongside the map editor, Splitgate Season 1 adds two new modes. A “one flag” capture the flag mode is coming to the game, where one team defends and the other tries to snag the enemy’s flag. Players can not use portals while carrying a flag.
Evolution, the second new mode, is a new variant of Showdown. Its an elimination mode where the first team to win three rounds is victorious. The twist is that teams get set loadouts at the start of each round. When one team wins a round, the losers move up a loadout tier, giving them better weapons. Its essentially a hybrid of Showdown and Gun Game where the playing field balances between each round.
The developers have also experimented with the game’s art style for the new season in an attempt to make the game look more “AAA.” The season’s new aesthetic can be seen in its new battle pass, which features white skins that evoke Mercy from Overwatch.
In addition to its new 100-tier season pass, the game is also introducing a 10-tier referral pass. Every time a player refers a new player to the game, they’ll move up a level and get some unique rewards.
Splitgate Season 1 is available starting today on all supported platforms.
