Splitgate 2’s recent $80 store bundle stirred up quite the fuss, and its director, Ian Proulx, has now explained how it happened and why a former Call of Duty developer, who also used to work on Splitgate 2, played a key part. If you thought this was just about a pricey bundle, think again; there’s a whole backstory behind the scenes that sheds light on the chaos.
Proulx posted a video on X on June 8, right after his controversial appearance at Summer Game Fest, where he wore a MAGA-style “Make FPS Great Again” hat (yikes, right?). He explained that as soon as he stepped off stage, he called Darek Jones, the lead game designer, totally surprised about the $80 bundle. “This is news to me. What the heck? That makes no sense,” he said.
Why we went from $80 to $40. pic.twitter.com/8VC7Ku1qHQ
— SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded (@Splitgate) June 8, 2025
It turns out that their former head of monetization, who came from Call of Duty and only stayed less than a year, set the pricing quite aggressively. Proulx said this was “a funny coincidence, but a hundred percent the truth,” especially since he’s been very critical of how Call of Duty has been handling shooters lately.
The team reevaluated their pricing about a month ago and lowered many prices, but somehow the $80 bundle slipped through the cracks. Honestly, how does something like that even get past the team? I’m still scratching my head here…
In a Reddit AMA, Proulx clarified he didn’t mean to shift blame onto anyone. He said he was unaware of the $80 bundle and would never have let it go live if he had known. His focus was mainly on server stability during the beta, and there wasn’t a system to check the store’s content before launch.
To avoid this mess in the future, Proulx set up weekly Monday meetings with their new product manager, Matt, and lead game designer, Darek, to keep a close eye on everything going live, including store items and playlists. It’s a step toward tighter control, but wow, what a wild ride for the community!
Do you think Proulx handled this well, or was it too much to throw a former employee under the bus? I’m curious about what you all think about this whole saga. Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
