Reactions to Splitgate 2's gameplay reveal have been mixed for fans who loved the original. It's great to see the game evolve, but many fear it will ultimately just be another hero shooter.

Splitgate 2 revealed its gameplay today in a nearly five-minute trailer, which touched on many of the things that are (hopefully) worth carrying over for this sequel. Perhaps the biggest change is the class system that the new game will introduce. As FPS streamer and Apex Legends pro iiTzTimmy put it, Splitgate 2 is "no longer just portals and shooting. It's factions, combos with utility, and abilities." But beyond the hype that some fans have for the new title, many commentators have been advocating that the game won't be a hero shooter.

The teaser and website for the game that followed Splitgate 2's initial reveal highlighted that there will be three "factions" that act as classes for players to choose from: Aeros, who are "fast, agile, portal masters," Meridian, the game's "healers and spotters," and Sabrask, the "defenders and fraggers." These factions will include passives that Splitgate developers have yet to flesh out, as well as unique abilities for each character, such as Meridian's ability to manipulate time akin to Overwatch's Tracer, or Hypersight, which reveals enemy locations and health, sounding very similar to Widowmaker's ult.

Simply put, the hero shooter genre has become quite crowded over the last few years, and it has its flaws. For example, early in Overwatch’s lifespan, it became common to use characters as hard counters. D.Va can counter Mei, Moira can counter Tracer, and so on. Much of what people loved about Splitgate’s gameplay format doesn’t play by the same rules.