Following its third round of funding, Splitgate developer 1047 Games has raised $100 million, which the company says will help to carry out the studio's long-term vision of revitalizing stale game genres.
In a press release, the studio confirmed that its most recent round of funding will help the studio to flesh out its vision for Splitgate as a top-tier, AAA competitive shooter and further establish the company as a "leading creative force of distinct and inventive IP in the gaming space".
According to the developer, the additional financial firepower granted will help contribute towards its long-term ambition to create a new era of classic games. In doing so, 1047 Games will aim to act as a pioneer in genres that it says have "currently stalled", by implementing "new takes in well-known, globally recognized genres."
Long-term goals aside, however, CEO and co-founder of 1047 Games, Ian Proulx, confirmed that the studio's immediate future is still fully committed to working on Splitgate. “Building on our core success with Splitgate is our main focus in the immediate future – we are rapidly scaling across all areas of our studio,” said Proulx.
“We are far from finished building out what we feel is the complete Splitgate experience for our loyal and dedicated fans. The funding secured from our partners, combined with the belief and support of our vision, enables us to focus on both our short-term growth needs, and more importantly, our long-term vision for 1047 Games as a premier driver of completely fresh gaming experiences for fans.”
1047 Games funding comes from a number of private equity firms. However, it's venture capitalist company Lightspeed Venture Partners that has taken up the role of the studio's lead investor. Amy Wu, a partner at the investment firm spoke further on what attracted the company toward 1047 Games.
“In gaming, Lightspeed focuses on founders that have a bold vision for innovation and the determination to build the next generational platform,” said Wu. “We found that with Ian and Nick. They’ve done so much with minimal funding, and we’re excited to see what they can do with more firepower. We’re proud to be assisting them as they take their brand to the next level.”
It's hard to argue with the investment firm's comments either. In August, 1047 Games announced that Splitgate would remain in open beta for the foreseeable future due to the unexpected popularity that the title had seen over the summer months. In little time, the developer worked hard to dramatically improve the game's server capacity in order to cater to its newfound player base. The team then launched its first competitive season for Splitgate that added a new map called Karma Station into the game as well as a 100-level Battle Pass full of unlockable items, and a brand new mode called Contamination.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN who spends a lot of his time in Splitgate attempting to throw grenades at enemy portals. You can follow him on Twitter.