1047 Games has announced that it will stop active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, opting to move the two games to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model. The decision marks a strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of concentrating on live‑service shooter titles. In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the studio had continued to fund those servers in an effort to give the titles a chance to grow their player bases, it ultimately concluded that this approach had 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 announcement read, underscoring the bittersweet nature of the move.
Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be deactivated. Players will instead rely on a P2P system supplemented by a server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and locate others who are doing the same. As part of what the studio has labeled the "final update" for Empulse, the game will receive one last new map and a price reduction across all regions. This is not the first time 1047 Games has transitioned a title to peer‑to‑peer hosting.
The original Splitgate made the same shift last year after its dedicated servers were shut down, and the game remains fully playable on PC and console platforms. Splitgate 2, launched in June 2025, quickly became a flashpoint of controversy. The release was accompanied by a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate within the community. Within a month of launch, the studio announced a round of layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff members.
A further month later, the game was rolled back to beta status and a second wave of layoffs was announced, indicating significant internal turmoil. Empulse, billed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026.
The title’s launch was followed by several rounds of staff reductions 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 addressed the shift in direction, 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 games that have defined 1047 Games to date. "We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the founders said.
"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 announcement did not provide specifics about the current staffing situation, although the company has already undergone multiple rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest news will trigger additional reductions. Industry observers note that the move away from dedicated servers is a pragmatic response to the high operational costs associated with live‑service titles, especially when player counts dwindle.
Peer‑to‑peer hosting reduces overhead but can introduce challenges such as increased latency and reliance on player‑hosted sessions, which may affect the overall experience. For fans of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the transition means that while official matchmaking will cease, the community can still enjoy the games through self‑hosted matches.
The final map addition for Empulse and the price cut are intended to give players a reason to return and explore the remaining content before the dedicated infrastructure is fully retired. Looking ahead, 1047 Games appears poised to explore new genres or business models that diverge from the live‑service shooter formula. Whether that involves single‑player experiences, narrative‑driven titles, or alternative multiplayer frameworks remains to be seen, but the founders' statements suggest a willingness to experiment and apply the lessons learned over the past decade.
In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, shifting both games to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3. The studio cites unsustainable server costs as the primary driver and signals a broader strategic reorientation away from live‑service shooters after ten years in the space. Fans can still play the games via self‑hosted sessions, and the company hints at a potentially different creative direction for its next venture.