1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. Beginning September 3, the studio will retire the dedicated server infrastructure for both games and move them to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) model with a built‑in server browser, allowing players to continue creating and joining matches on their own machines. This decision marks a significant strategic pivot for the company after a decade spent focusing on live‑service first‑person shooters.
In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by the two titles no longer covers the ongoing expenses of maintaining dedicated servers. While the studio had previously subsidized those costs in the hope that the games would eventually become self‑sustaining, it now acknowledges that this approach has become financially untenable. "We have loved working on these games, playing them, and building them with this community, and we wish we could continue supporting them," the post read, underscoring the bittersweet nature of the announcement.
The transition to P2P hosting will be accompanied by a final content update for Empulse. Players can expect one new map to be added, and the game’s price will be reduced across all regions as part of what the studio calls the "final update" for the title. Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will also see its matchmaking services disabled, but the new server browser will let users locate and host matches directly, preserving the core multiplayer experience despite the loss of centralized servers. This is not the first time 1047 Games has moved a title to peer‑to‑peer architecture.
The original Splitgate made the same shift last year after its dedicated servers were shut down, and the game remains fully playable on both PC and console platforms. The company’s willingness to keep the games accessible, even without the infrastructure that originally powered them, reflects a commitment to its player base, albeit within the constraints of its current business model. The background to this decision is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a swirl of controversy, including the release of a "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a high‑priced $145 cosmetic bundle that drew criticism from the community.
Within weeks of the launch, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A month later the title was pushed back into a beta state, prompting a second wave of staff reductions. Empulse, positioned as a 6‑vs‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its debut was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, signaling ongoing financial strain.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in direction in the same X post, stating that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the studio’s focus is now "changing". They hinted that future projects may look very different from the fast‑paced, server‑driven experiences that have defined 1047 Games to date.
"We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the founders wrote. "Since then, more than 25 million people have played our games, and many of the people we've met along the way have become lifelong friends. After ten years of focusing on live service shooters, our focus is changing.
What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games, but what has not changed is why we are here: we love making games. We have learned a lot over the years, and we will carry those lessons into what we build next." While the announcement does not detail the current staffing situation, it follows a pattern of layoffs that began shortly after Empulse’s launch and continued through July.
It remains uncertain whether the latest shift will trigger additional reductions, but the tone of the statement suggests the studio is consolidating resources to explore new directions rather than expanding its existing live‑service portfolio. The move to peer‑to‑peer hosting has practical implications for players. Without dedicated servers, latency and matchmaking quality may vary more widely, depending on the geographic distribution and network conditions of individual hosts. However, the inclusion of a server browser gives the community tools to find stable hosts and maintain a viable multiplayer ecosystem.
For fans of Empulse, the final map and price drop provide a modest send‑off, while Splitgate: Arena Reloaded’s continued accessibility ensures that the game’s unique portal‑shooting mechanics remain available for enthusiasts. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, transitioning both titles to a peer‑to‑peer model as of September 3.
This reflects a broader strategic realignment away from the costly live‑service shooter model that defined the studio’s output for a decade. The founders emphasize a continued passion for game creation and hint at future projects that may diverge sharply from their current catalog. The community can expect a final content push for Empulse, a reduced price point, and the ability to keep playing both games through player‑hosted sessions, even as the company navigates a period of restructuring and re‑imagining its creative focus.