1047 Games announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both experiences to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking model as of September 3. The decision marks a strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooter games. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by the two titles no longer covers the operating expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the studio had previously absorbed those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it now acknowledges that continuing to fund the servers is "no longer sustainable." "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. The sentiment underscores the affection the team feels for the projects despite the harsh financial realities. Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and centralized matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be deactivated. Players will instead rely on a P2P architecture that uses a built‑in server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and discover others’ sessions.
To give the community a proper send‑off, Empulse will receive one last map addition and a price reduction across all regions, which the studio has dubbed the "final update" for the game. This move mirrors the transition that the original Splitgate underwent last year. After its dedicated servers were shut down, the title shifted to P2P hosting and remains fully playable on both PC and console platforms.
The earlier migration demonstrated that a P2P model can keep a game alive, albeit with a different set of technical trade‑offs such as increased reliance on host connectivity and potential matchmaking latency. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became a flashpoint for controversy.
The launch was accompanied by a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a pricey $145 cosmetic bundle, sparking criticism from portions of the gaming community. Within a month of its debut, 1047 Games announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a further wave of staff reductions followed when the title was pushed back into beta a month later. These events highlighted the volatility that can accompany ambitious live‑service projects. Empulse, billed as a 6v6, high‑mobility shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026.
The title’s development cycle was similarly turbulent; after its launch, the studio carried out multiple rounds of layoffs over the ensuing weeks, reflecting broader financial pressures. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to articulate a broader shift in the company's creative direction. "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 specific details about the current staffing situation, although the company has already undergone several layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s launch.
It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will precipitate additional reductions. Industry observers note that the shift away from dedicated servers is part of a larger trend among mid‑size studios that find the ongoing cost of server maintenance increasingly untenable without a sufficiently large, paying player base. While P2P hosting can extend a game's lifespan at lower operational cost, it also places more responsibility on players to host stable sessions and may affect the overall quality of matchmaking.
For the community, the transition means that those who wish to continue playing Empulse or Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will need to adapt to the new hosting model. The server browser will replace the previous matchmaking queues, and players may experience longer wait times or variability in connection quality depending on the host's hardware and internet connection.
Nonetheless, the studio's decision to provide a final map update and a price cut for Empulse suggests an effort to give fans a respectful farewell. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could diverge significantly from the live‑service shooter formula that defined its first decade.
Whether the studio will return to a more traditional single‑player or episodic model, explore new genres, or experiment with emerging technologies remains to be seen. What is clear is that the company intends to apply the lessons learned from its ambitious, but financially challenging, shooter projects to future endeavors.
In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both titles to peer‑to‑peer hosting on September 3, and providing a final content update for Empulse. The move reflects a strategic realignment away from the high‑cost live‑service shooter model that has dominated the studio's output for ten years, and signals that its upcoming projects may take a different creative direction while still being driven by the founders' passion for game development.