u/Diafort

Hear me out: EMPULSE is out, but it's a premium title that requires an active PS Plus subscription to play online on console.

Meanwhile, Splitgate is sitting right here, it's F2P, and it doesn't need a subscription.

I’m starting to wonder if we’re about to see a "rebound effect." With subscription costs only going up, do you think casual players who are looking for a fresh arena shooter are going to stick with the free, accessible alternative rather than paying a monthly fee just to play EMPULSE?

Personally, I feel like Splitgate’s accessibility is our biggest advantage right now. Are you guys seeing an influx of players, or do you think the "double paywall" (buying the game + PS Plus) of other titles is actually going to help keep our player count healthy?

Let's talk about it, do you think the current model is Splitgate's secret weapon?

Hey everyone,

First off, massive kudos to 1047 for the art direction in EMPULSE. That gritty, mature, post-apocalyptic vibe is exactly what the game needed. It honestly reminds me of the shift from SG2 to Arena Reloaded, they completely nailed the atmosphere. I put 282 hours into Splitgate AR, and I've already clocked 16 hours in EMPULSE since the PS5 launch, so I’m genuinely hooked on the core gameplay loop.

However, as a console player, I really need to bring up a major hurdle: the mandatory PS Plus subscription.

Since EMPULSE is a premium title ($15) and not F2P, console players are hit with a double paywall. I love this studio and want the game to succeed, but maintaining a monthly subscription just to play one game isn't financially sustainable for everyone right now. It really hurts the accessibility that made 1047's previous games so great to jump into.

Are other console players in the same boat? Do you think this paywall will hurt the console player base long-term?

See u in the comments ;)