1047 Games announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both projects to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model. The decision marks a clear pivot for the studio after a decade of concentrating on live‑service shooter experiences. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the company had continued to subsidise those costs in the hope that the titles would eventually achieve a sustainable player base, it now acknowledges that this approach is "no longer viable." "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. Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be deactivated. Players will instead rely on a P2P system that incorporates a server browser, allowing community members to host their own matches and discover others’ sessions. To give the community a proper send‑off, Empulse will receive one final map addition and a universal price reduction across all regions as part of what the studio has termed the "final update." This transition mirrors the path taken with the original Splitgate, which also shifted to P2P hosting after its dedicated servers were shut down last year.
That change has kept the game playable on PC and consoles, albeit with a more grassroots matchmaking experience. Splitgate 2, launched in June 2025, quickly became a lightning rod for controversy.
The title featured a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a premium cosmetic bundle priced at $145, sparking backlash from portions of the community. Within a month of release, 1047 Games announced a wave of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed.
A further month later the studio placed the game back into a beta state and initiated a second round of staff reductions, signaling significant internal turmoil. Empulse, pitched as a 6‑v‑6 movement‑focused shooter and described by the developers as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its launch was followed by several rounds of layoffs within a matter of weeks, reflecting the broader challenges the studio faces in sustaining multiple live‑service projects simultaneously.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to outline a strategic shift. After ten years of building and supporting live‑service shooters, they said the company's future direction is "changing," and that the next project could look dramatically different from anything previously associated with 1047 Games. "We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," they 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." The statement did not provide specifics about the current staffing levels, though it is known that the studio has already undergone multiple layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will precipitate further reductions.
Industry observers note that the shift away from dedicated servers is a cost‑saving measure that many mid‑size studios adopt when player numbers plateau. While P2P hosting can keep a game technically alive, it often results in a less stable matchmaking experience and can limit the ability to implement large‑scale live events or regular content updates. For players who have invested time and money into Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the transition may feel like a step backward, but it also offers a chance for the community to keep the games alive through grassroots organization. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture may explore genres or business models outside the live‑service shooter space.
Given the studio's track record of high‑quality production values and its strong community ties, many fans are hopeful that the next title will retain the polish and creativity of its predecessors while adopting a more sustainable financial structure. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3, and providing a final content update for Empulse. The move reflects broader financial pressures and a strategic decision to move away from the live‑service shooter formula that defined the studio for a decade.
The company's leadership remains optimistic about future projects, promising that the lessons learned will inform whatever comes next, even as the community watches closely to see how the transition impacts their favorite games.