Splitgate 2 microtransaction controversy explained

Despite its official launch on June 6, 2025, Splitgate 2 was already surrounded by a major controversy. Just moments after its reveal during Summer Game Fest 2025, people started talking about more than just the game itself.

Ian Proulx, founder and CEO of 1047 Games, introduced the sequel on the stage while wearing a cap that read, "Make FPS Great Again." While some fans found it amusing, many others pointed out the irony. They felt the message of making FPS great again did not align with charging the hefty price 1047 Games was charging for cosmetics.

This controversy has recently become one of the hottest topics in the gaming scene. On that note, here’s a brief of the whole situation.

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Splitgate 2 devs respond to $80 Nano Swarm skin bundle backlash

Not long after the game was launched, many people started sharing screenshots of the Nano Swarm Bundle on X to mock the game. This cosmetic bundle is priced at a discounted price of 8,000 Splitcoins, which converts to a whopping $80 in real money, and is equal to the price of many recent AAA titles.

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Fans quickly began questioning how a game that criticized other FPS games could charge that much for skins. The discussion went viral as numerous people started tagging the Splitgate account and even sarcastically quoting, "Make FPS Great Again".

Eventually, the developers responded, with the CEO posting a video through the game's X account to address all the backlash. He began by admitting that some people hadn't interpreted the statement, "Make FPS Great Again," the way he had intended, and clarified what the devs' real message was.

More importantly, he confirmed that the team had heard the community's feedback and decided to reduce the price of Nano Swarm and a few other bundles.

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The bundle now costs 4,000 Splitcoins, which converts to $40. What's more, anyone who has purchased the skins at the original price will receive a refund. As expected, this gesture earned a lot of praise from the community.

That's everything you need to know about the microtransactions issue. It will be interesting to see whether this controversy will hurt or help the game in the long run.

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About the author

Harshit Singh is a gaming journalist at Sportskeeda, with Fortnite, Counter-Strike 2, and Marvel Rivals being his areas of specialization. A final-year B.Des (Visual Communication) student at Delhi Technological University, he is always eager to pursue creative endeavors. Harshit aims to deliver news and up-to-date content promptly to players around the globe. To that end, he acquires information from reliable forums and social media pages and religiously tracks the latest coverage of Fortnite — a game he has been playing since 2018. He is often found testing the new meta in-game or spectating competitive tournaments.

Harshit holds a deep love for video games, which stemmed from the hours he spent playing GTA Vice City, NFS Most Wanted 2005, FlatOut 2, and Total Overdose in his school days. Currently, he is veering towards story-driven, single-player games, with Red Dead Redemption 2 being one of his favorites.

Harshit is an ardent fan of esports titles like CS, Rocket League, and Valorant, with Fnatic, EDG, G2, and Astralis being a few of his favorite orgs. Counter-Strike pro Xantares and Benjifishy, an esports athlete who has mastered both Fortnite and Valorant, are inspirational figures for him.

Harshit works as a music producer under the alias Hysaze. He is extremely passionate about EDM and has garnered over 40 million streams across all platforms. He is also a regular contributor to Fandom’s EDM Wiki.

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Edited by Arundhoti Palit