Hat of Discord: Splitgate 2 game director apologises for controversial image at Summer Game Fest and "community split"
The gaming industry is in the midst of another scandal, and this time Ian Proulx, the game director of Splitgate 2, is at the centre of it. He apologised for causing a "split in the community" after his controversial appearance at Summer Game Fest, where he took to the stage wearing a MAGA-style hat with the words "Make FPS Great Again".
Here's What We Know
Proulx's segment at Summer Game Fest last Friday almost immediately drew criticism from viewers; some felt that using the SGF platform to attack another developer's game - he announced that he was "tired of playing the same Call of Duty every year" - was inappropriate, but it was his hat that caused the most controversy.
Its "Make FPS Great Again" logo clearly resembled controversial US President Donald Trump's famous slogan "Make America Great Again", and now - after initially refusing to apologise for wearing it - Proulx has admitted that the choice, while "not political", was a rash one.
"It's extremely difficult for an independent studio to break through the noise," he explained in a video posted on social media. "We saw it at the TGAs; we had a great trailer and there were 50 other great trailers and it didn't have much impact. And so on our biggest stage, coming out of beta, we needed something to grab attention and... this is what we came up with."
"We didn't intend for it to be perceived in any political way," he continued. "Obviously, I knew there would be some level of controversy, but we really saw it as a meme expressing our truth. Namely, we really want to improve this genre, we're frustrated with the state of the genre. And that's why we took [the slogan] as a meme that we don't think will be perceived as negatively as it was. And that's why I want to apologise."
"And the reason I'm apologising is because of what it did to the community. The most important thing for me right now is that I want to have an amazing community. I hate to see a split. And that's what I see now, on both sides. There is a split in the community, and for that, I'm truly sorry."
However, Proulx's appearance at Summer Game Fest is not the only controversy that Splitgate 2 has faced in recent days. Fans criticised the free-to-play shooter after developer 1047 Games released a cosmetic pack for $80 USD, allegedly at a discount from $145. In response, the studio dropped the price to $40 and reduced prices across the store, promising to "redouble our efforts to be community-focused and listen to you."
No excuses, I'm sorry. pic.twitter.com/4dgOxrSXUJ
- Splitgate 2 (@Splitgate) 10 June 2025
Source: @Splitgate
