Portal shooter Splitgate 2 is coming back with a new name and rebuilt experience after being pulled back to beta earlier this year, developer 1047 Games announced. The free-to-play Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will relaunch on December 17th across platforms including Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC.

“After months of community feedback, testing and rebuilding the entire experience, this is Splitgate refocused on what made it special in the first place: classic arena combat without factions, abilities, or extra noise,” the developer shared in a blog post, along with a gameplay video.

Splitgate 2 originally launched in June, but 1047 Games pulled it back to beta after deciding that the release had been rushed. For the new version, the company said, “we took the best of Splitgate 1 and Splitgate 2” and cut the parts that didn’t fit, while refining the ones that did. “in the process, we not only rebuilt the game, we reconnected with the magic of the genre that built this studio in the first place: a return to the Arena.”

Here are some key changes made:

• Removed Splitgate 2’s factions, abilities, and select equipment so the focus is back on classic arena combat without the extra noise.

• Rebuilt progression from the ground up so your time in game feels rewarding, with weapon and character cosmetics you can earn simply by playing.

• We’ve added a true Classic Arena mode with even starts and new map pickups, recapturing the feel of the original.

• Fine tuned combat to better match expectations for a modern arena shooter, with more meaningful gunfights and fewer “what just happened” moments.

• Completely overhauled the ranked system so your rank reflects your actual skill for players who love to climb and compete.

• Added key systems you have been asking for: Mode Select, Player Stats, Ranked Leaderboards, and Account Levels.

• Introduced five brand new maps and six fully reworked arenas, bringing the total map pool to 20.

• Added three new LMG primary weapons and the iconic Power Weapon, the Railgun.

1047 Games was savaged earlier this year by Splitgate players after co-founder Ian Proulx wore a hat at Summer Games Fest stating “Make FPS Great Again.” Later, he posted to the studio’s X account on Splitgate 2’s release date that he was “not here to apologize” and that the hat was “not a political statement,” finally admitting that it was all basically a publicity stunt.