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The industry gets multiplayer wrong again. Splitgate tanking...

To me the loop of competitive level arena style games gets stale very fast, within the same game even. Run, shoot, grenade, die, respawn and cycle that quickly over and over. The real charm of Halo was the light vehicles or interesting maps or varied weapon sandbox, not the hardcore one gun + shoot + dodge and repeat. It's great to have the e-sports/competitive scene tinker the balance of the weapon and movement sandbox but their maps and "fun" factor derails long term population. It's a shrinking game of skill at that point, who wants to grind out the exact same game with a regular squad every day for months on end? It's boring and it's why things like MLG or HCS never overtake the populaton of more default playlists or maps or modes. The "fun" factor has been removed to be ultra competitive, it's by design then you'll shrink the population to the ultra skilled.

Games like Fortnite, PUBG, Apex thrive because there is so much more to do and imbalance that "fairness of the hardcore" all the time e.g. random weapon pickups, which shield level you are, what attachments you've got etc. Halo has been trying to essentially build this out into a 50/50 divide since 343 took over e.g. Warzone vs Arena. It has never achieved the all in one balance that Halo 2/3 was so close to. Splitgate suffers the same fate, it's built for hardcore play, it achieves that quite well but I stopped playing it within a few days because I had seen everything it had to offer. There is some interesting map designs with the portals but overall there's a randomness to that which tips the balance of fun vs competitive a bit too far IMO. Give me classic Halo crazy shit during a fun competitive game over the reductive hardcore modes all day everyday. Same goes for every Halo buddy I've ever had, with the exception of 2 esports dudes who went to MLG.

As for the media? Well they're just chasing the latest thing and news worthy article headlines for clicks. They'll never keep blogging about a single game for months or years on end. It would be a nice change for a gaming website to foster such community growth and insight/reporting over headline chasing.

TL;DR if you don't Mario Kart your less performing players and introduce randomness with the trade off for fun over competitiveness, some of the time, then you'll dwindle the population over time.
 
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Nvzman

Member
As much as people hate to admit this, multiplayer games need some sort of progression system to hold any sort of long term playerbase in todays gaming world. I really like splitgate but theres literally nothing to unlock or grind for, so as soon as you play every map and you spend two hours on it, the enjoyment factor completely wears off. There's nothing new to look forward to, its not like COD or BF where you can try doing challenges or leveling up to unlock more weapons or anything.
 
There's a few differences between Valheim and Splitgate...

- PvE games naturally have worse replay value because AI is naturally a bore to fight. So the expectation that Valheim would stay on top, when the top is full of PvP games, wasn't really there.

- Valheims heights were higher than Splitgate and it's player retention was significantly better than Splitgate despite being $20 vs free to play.

- Valheim was also exploring a relatively new genre, whereas Splitgate felt like a retread from the year 2000. I have considerably higher expectation with Valheims relevancy than I do Splitgate, which I predict will fade into obscurity.

The medias perception, or lacktherof, is very much a media issue.

Lol significantly better player retention

Splitgate
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Valheim
wAkryiX.jpg


Looks pretty shit to me

Looks to me like you're jumping the gun a bit here as an excuse to call out the media when it's still to early to see where splitgate is going to fall
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Bingo. Look at the playerbase for Avengers and Fortnite. Or any MMORPG. They burn through content by playing nonstop and then complain there's nothing to do. Maybe, I dunno, take some time inbetween sessions to do other things? If you wanna burn through it all in a week or two, fine. Just don't bitch about it.

Avengers became a ghost town weeks after release.

Fortnite is still one of the most played games in the entire industry 4 years after release.

Two very different games in terms of player retention.
 

kyliethicc

Member
If I'm not mistaken, traditional CoD multiplayer is finally getting less popular with the rise of CoD Warzone.
Yes, since its free. More players.

I just find it interesting how the public more or less agrees with critics when it comes to single player but the divide couldn't be wider when it comes to multiplayer. Rocket League, PUBG, Fortnite, RS Siege...were basically ridiculed by the press pre release. Those are arguably the four best multiplayer games of the last 10 years.
Rocket League wasn't discussed really at all pre-launch. Sleeper hit.

Fortnite launched as a totally different type of game that flopped. Its success took time. PUBG? Idk don't remember, didn't play it.

Siege I love and play a lot. And even I thought it was dogshit when in launched in 2015. Needed major work to become a good game.
 
Over 11k concurrent players seemed to know about it. Not many of that 11k seemed interested in its 2nd month.

That's fuck all. Valheim hit the mainstreams eyes at launch. Splitgate hit it in July thanks to Streamers

The datapoints are fair.

Not to mention you're only looking at Steam numbers. It's still the most downloaded free to play game on PSN as of last month.
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
That's fuck all. Valheim hit the mainstreams eyes at launch. Splitgate hit it in July thanks to Streamers

The datapoints are fair.

Not to mention you're only looking at Steam numbers. It's still the most downloaded free to play game on PSN as of last month.

Datapoints shouldn't be cherry picked to omit information that doesn't help your cause.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Conversation shifted to reasons Splitgate is hemorrhaging players. Fair enough...

Thread topic was about why media constantly gets multiplayer wrong. The game was already annointed by many as being great. Clearly it's not.
Well, Splitgate was never meant to be a game that the "media would get right", it was never some big AAA marketed title, or anything of the sort. It was an indie studio's title that's been worked on and available for several years. Thanks to is launch on console, new content, and crossplay, it got a ton of attention. Rightfully so. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't even think it's "fair" to compare its flow to the titles you mentioned as I mentioned earlier, they're hardly comparable. A lot of people think the game is great for a small studio's first go at a free to play competitive shooter that received crossplay. That didn't have a ton of marketing, funding, or support. It is incredibly impressive, which is why they just received $100 million in funding.

Also, as mentioned before, games media doesn't focus on multiplayer like they do single player. As we've found out over the years, some outlets haven't even completed titles they review. Some hardly even touch multiplayer components as well. With titles that are strictly multiplayer, I feel like they're touched even less. If anything, a multiplayer game's popularity is what gets the games media's attention.

You know split gate came out a long time ago and was pretty DOA but had a glow up and console release which garnered such attention. Who's to say something like it won't happen again?

Why is the "industry" suddenly wrong as if Splitgate is some brand new title loses some luster after a resurgence? For what the game is it's doing totally fine and they got $100M in funding. They'll be ok despite your concern
Exactly, it was a team of less than 20 people at that point. It most certainly will happen again. There are plenty of titles that have peaks and valleys that garner success, just because there's no steady booming traffic doesn't mean they're automatically a failure by any means. Hell, I respect them for focusing on the project rather than scrapping it to work on a BR to get more attention and fit the current trends/fads in gaming.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Hell, I respect them for focusing on the project rather than scrapping it to work on a BR to get more attention and fit the current trends/fads in gaming.

How many years does Battle Royale need to be on top before it's no longer considered a fad? It's dominated the scene from 2017 - today, which is 5 years. The genre also has a seemingly unprecedented hit rate. Even I'm surprised at how good Naraka Bladepoint seems to be doing. Perhaps it's time to consider the genres merits instead of labeling it something it doesn't appear to be?
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
If I'm not mistaken, traditional CoD multiplayer is finally getting less popular with the rise of CoD Warzone.

Halo Infinite, I'm hearing a ton of positive buzz on, by the same exact people who I believe don't understand multiplayer. I think Halo Infinite will live or die based on how it's big team battle (or Warzone mode) is designed, and we haven't seen that yet.

XDefiant might do OK but it won't be a multiplayer GotY contender.

I just find it interesting how the public more or less agrees with critics when it comes to single player but the divide couldn't be wider when it comes to multiplayer. Rocket League, PUBG, Fortnite, RS Siege...were basically ridiculed by the press pre release. Those are arguably the four best multiplayer games of the last 10 years.
Nah slayer etc is where halo lives and dies. Warzone is a fun more casual mode but it’s always slayer that’s the draw card.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
How many years does Battle Royale need to be on top before it's no longer considered a fad? It's dominated the scene from 2017 - today, which is 5 years. The genre also has a seemingly unprecedented hit rate. Even I'm surprised at how good Naraka Bladepoint seems to be doing. Perhaps it's time to consider the genres merits instead of labeling it something it doesn't appear to be?
Much like the arena shooter surge, RTS surge, MMO surge, MOBA surge, free to play surge we've seen in the past, it fits. Maybe "fad" is the wrong term in some eyes, but it's definitely the "IT" thing, much like the previous "IT" things. Well, and just like the previous things, the surge will die down, and the only ones that remain are the core successful ones. Then something else will come along.

I think something else to point out is free to play, because it's impossible to ignore that a lot of traffic for BRs IS high potentially because they're free to play, and majority are also crossplay.
 

01011001

Banned
IN my opinion, one of the biggest problems with Splitgate is the maps.
Some are too large and more complex than needed, making them not as fun as they should be.

While pacing is high on one map, and a bit of a chore on another is offputting.
Kinda makes you not want to play as much.

I wonder how many feel the same.

I agree. there are maybe 2 good maps in Splitgate and the rest are tolerable at best and terrible at worst.
the good ones are the ones that are more or less direct copies of Halo maps, while the bad ones are just weird, unfun corridors with really specific portal walls that can only really be used in a single way.

that's a huge issue imo. also the portals need to be rebalanced. you shouldn't be able to just place another portal on a spot that someone just destroyed your old one at, maybe even give the portal gun a reload after 2 shots, because it's just too convoluted and gets abused too much.

another issue is maps that feel like they are designed to just camp in front of a portal. Oasis has that issue in a big way.

so maybe make it so that portals disappear after 5-10 seconds or so, just to somewhat mitigate that and make it harder to camp behind walls looking through portals.

the next issue the game has is the grenades, they are too slow and just don't work well as a counter for portals, they should be replaced with something like a small missile, a projectile with a relatively straight flight path and a higher velocity.

the game isn't finished and I hope they learn from the ways players abuse the systems in the game.. because the way they do it slows down the game and makes it a camping game
 
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ZehDon

Member
The game changed in 2017/2018. I have a feeling slayer won't fare as well today as it did in 2001.
The game changed in that players' tastes changed. They seemed to enjoy the more open and varied approach that Battle Royale's provide against the stagnant three lane approach that virtually the entire FPS shooter market limped into in attempts to copy COD. Players got tired of it and wanted more variety and more of a combat sandbox - which is what Halo was built on. As a result, slayer in Halo is wildly different to TDM in COD and its copy cats that players are growing tired of - and Halo's offering up its full suite of multiplayer as F2P: Arena, BTB, and its larger Warzone mode. I suspect Halo Infinite will do incredibly well in 2021.
 

Neolombax

Member
Splitgate is just okay for me, the guns are not super satisfying to use, the maps I'm not really a fan of. The cosmetics arent that exciting either.
 
There's valid conversations about what gives a game legs for the long run but there's also a weird narrative here that "the media" invested themselves in a popularity contest and bet on the wrong horse.

They reported on a game finding sudden popularity long after a quiet launch, a game people were definitely talking about and it's precisely their job to write about what people are talking about.
 
Meanwhile, a game like Naraka Bladepoint which came out last month, seems to be fairing significantly better despite the industry mocking it as "just another Battle Royale."
Probably because... that's what players are looking for? Just another mindless Battle Royale, to fill the gap before their next Battle Royale?
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Naraka is simply a much higher quality game and wholly unique as the first Melee based battle royale I can think of.

It deserves to be doing better than a cheap looking Halo with a portal gimmick.
 

cormack12

Gold Member
I don't think it's genre related - I think it's more a case of the boom, bust cycle. We saw the same with Fallout Guys. People download and play to be part of the moment, then another 'moment' arrives and they realise they weren't playing it for the right reasons to begin with. Then you balance that against something like Hyperscape but also something like Val0rant. If you get a big explosion of interest/players and you're not a recognised brand/IP I would expect it to fall off a cliff at some point.

Devs need to try and understand why that is. Back in the day we used to play the same four/five maps over and over with no lootboxes, XP, unlocks - just to play :)
 

Shubh_C63

Member
Ok I am not a world renowned game critic but a 5 min gameplay video was enough to understand this won't be something that will stick.

I am surprised people thought this would be amazing.
 

8BiTw0LF

Banned
We've only seen the tip of the iceberg. Splitgate was developed by 15 people. 1047 Games just received $100 million in funding and is now hiring. The lead developer stated Splitgate in it's current form is 25% of the final/expected game.

TL;DR: Splitgate is doing just fine.
 
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Splitgate is a good time but I can see why people drop off it so quickly.

This might be a touchy subject but in my opinion part of the problem I think is gamers tend to over consume. If something doesn't feel fresh after 10 hours of constant play then it gets shelved. BR games are probably so popular because the experience is relatively different each time it's played.

Serious question, has anyone done a study on this?
Lack of attention span. Gamers nowadays have so many options for free (all F2P games out there) or cheap (daily sales every single day or week on different platforms + services like Game Pass and alike) that anything that doesn't rewards you immediately or really grabs your attention in a few minutes of gaming gets thrown in the backlog or abandoned altogether. Games became more disposable than ever before and it feels like a vicious cycle of something exploding into mainstream just to die off in a couple of weeks or months.
 
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Griffon

Member
I don't play Splitgate, but from Steamcharts the numbers still look pretty damn healthy. Of course there's gonna be a drop out after the big hype boost, but what remains is still significant.
 
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WitchHunter

Member
This seems to happen regularly now.

Games media hypes up a particular multiplayer game. Anoints it as the next great multiplayer game. Then, a month later, its player base leaves in droves because it doesn't have the depth or longevity of truly great multiplayer games.

Splitgate seems to be jettisoning players daily ever since it was hailed as the next big thing a few weeks ago. (Currently #102 on Steam)


Meanwhile, a game like Naraka Bladepoint which came out last month, seems to be fairing significantly better despite the industry mocking it as "just another Battle Royale."

Why is games media so bad at assessing multiplayer games in particular?
BECAUSE... BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELTS.


READY?
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Nobody dares to take their own opinion. Before I publish... What did the other monkey wrote? Ah, maybe I was wrong. I liked the game, but, he, the bigdik one said it's mediocre. Ok. lets rewrite my thoughts.
 
Valheim isn't on console and we don't have numbers for Splitgate on console either.

Doesn't matter that Valheim isn't on console.

Again, it's been the most downloaded free to play game on consoles since July and August.

Point being you're using premature data to declare Splitgate as dead as an excuse to shit on the media
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Doesn't matter that Valheim isn't on console.

Again, it's been the most downloaded free to play game on consoles since July and August.

Point being you're using premature data to declare Splitgate as dead as an excuse to shit on the media

It's currently ranked #32 on XBox Live. We'll see how it does over the next few weeks. My bet, not very well. Also not sure if many great multiplayer games sink to #32 after 2 months on a platform either.
 
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SquillieDee

Member
Ive put about 10 or so hours into this game. I have enjoyed it a lot, but its missing the crucial combo that makes Halo so fun. The grenades and melee are pointless. To me, the thing that makes Halo so enjoyable is the trio of attacks. Chuck a grenade, shoot the player, melee them when they get close, that formula never gets old to me,. In splitgate it was all weapon based, every other attack was useless.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
Anarchy Reigns :messenger_crying:
Well this game is from the 360 era and would not be considered a game in the Battle Royale genre as we know it today. It's missing certain staples of the genre. An ever-closing arena with some form of damaging barrier (gas, storm etc.), starting with nothing and having to pick up all your gear, choosing your drop location, last man or team alive wins.

By your definition one might consider any WWE game a Battle Royale as well. Doesn't Anarchy have respawns too? Like without some mechanic like revive stations (Apex, Warzone)?
 
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kanjobazooie

Mouse Ball Fetishist
Well this game is from the 360 era and would not be considered a game in the Battle Royale genre as we know it today. It's missing certain staples of the genre. An ever-closing arena with some form of damaging barrier (gas, storm etc.), starting with nothing and having to pick up all your gear, choosing your drop location, last man or team alive wins.

By your definition one might consider any WWE game a Battle Royale as well. Doesn't Anarchy have respawns too? Like without some mechanic like revive stations (Apex, Warzone)?
I was hoping that the emoji and the bolded quote would make it clear that my post wasn't serious. :'(

Anarchy Reigns has a "Battle Royale" mode, so that would make it the first Melee based battle royale game that *I* can think of.
Sorry for the lame-ass joke. I shouldn't have made it.
 
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Jigsaah

Gold Member
I was hoping that the emoji and the bolded quote would make it clear that my post wasn't serious. :'(

Anarchy Reigns has a "Battle Royale" mode, so that would make it the first Melee based battle royale game that *I* can think of.
Sorry for the lame-ass joke. I shouldn't have made it.
Oh I thought you were just sad. Sorry I left my Sarcas-o-meter in the car.
 

chixdiggit

Member
Just want to say that I never heard of Splitgate but it looks pretty damn fun. Always down to try something different.
 
Just want to say that I never heard of Splitgate but it looks pretty damn fun. Always down to try something different.

it's free to download and try, the cost of entry is your data cap (if you have one)

i'd recommend checking it out, really fun game. as others have said, the only real issue right now is the lack of content

i also find the ui pretty shitty, on PC at least
 

chixdiggit

Member
it's free to download and try, the cost of entry is your data cap (if you have one)

i'd recommend checking it out, really fun game. as others have said, the only real issue right now is the lack of content

i also find the ui pretty shitty, on PC at least
Actually been playing it in between Diablo 2 sessions.

I really like it. Tons of strategy with the portals. Seems like I keep coming up with a new idea to use them every time I play. The precision aiming also feels great.
 
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