The world of video games can be tricky, especially when it comes to getting players to stick around. Take Splitgate 2, for example. Its creators poured a lot of money into getting the word out, but the game didn’t quite hit the mark with players. This is a big change from how popular the first Splitgate game was.
We learned about these marketing efforts from Nick Lombardi. He used to be a co-founder at Steamforge. Lombardi shared details on his LinkedIn page about how 1047 Games, the company behind both Splitgate titles, spent a good sum promoting Splitgate 2. They spent exactly $408,542 USD on streamers and influencers. Most of this money, 83.6% to be exact, went to Twitch streamers.
The remaining budget went into YouTube and YouTube Short promotions. These videos racked up over 5 million views. Oddly, they didn’t run any specific ads on TikTok. Still, existing game clips on TikTok managed to get over 7 million views. It seems their strategy leaned toward working with mid-level streamers rather than the huge, top-tier names.
Overall, the promotion for Splitgate 2 generated around 27.4 million views. This happened with a budget exceeding $400,000. Yet, the number of actual players told a very different story. Soon after the game launched, player numbers on Steam dropped sharply. By July, over 96% of players had left. Only a few thousand people were playing daily. The game’s reviews were “Mixed,” too. Many players pointed to issues with map design and how the portal placement worked.
This story shows something important. Spending a lot of money on influencers to create buzz doesn’t always lead to a game’s success. High view counts don’t mean much if players aren’t enjoying the game itself. The development team was confident. They even hoped to make first-person shooter games popular again. But even great hopes need a solid game to back them up.
Splitgate 2 is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.