1047 Games has 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) networking model as of September 3. This decision marks a significant strategic 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 each game no longer covers the expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the company had continued to subsidize those costs in hopes that the titles would eventually achieve a self‑sustaining player base, it concluded that the model had become "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 studio wrote, expressing genuine regret over the shift.
Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be decommissioned. Players will instead rely on a P2P system that utilizes a server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and locate opponents directly. To give the community a proper send‑off, Empulse will receive a final new map and a universal price reduction across all regions as part of what the company has labeled the "final update." This approach mirrors the transition the original Splitgate underwent last year. After its dedicated servers were shut down, the game moved to a P2P architecture and remains fully playable today, including on console platforms.
The precedent suggests that 1047 Games aims to keep the core gameplay experience alive even without the backing of proprietary server farms. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became embroiled in controversy. The launch featured a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a pricey $145 cosmetic bundle, sparking backlash from portions of the community. Within a month of its release, the studio announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a further month later the title was rolled back to a beta state, prompting a second wave of staff reductions.
These events highlighted the volatility of the live‑service market and the challenges of sustaining a high‑cost infrastructure without a consistently growing player base. Empulse, positioned as a 6v6 movement‑focused shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its launch was followed by a series of layoffs that unfolded over the ensuing weeks, underscoring the financial pressures the studio faced across both projects.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the broader implications of the shift in a separate statement. They emphasized that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the studio’s direction is "changing," and future projects may diverge significantly from what fans have come to expect from 1047 Games. "We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," they 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, though it is known that the studio has already undergone multiple layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s early‑access debut. Whether the latest development signals additional reductions remains uncertain. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, shifting both titles to a peer‑to‑peer hosting model to keep them playable without the financial burden of dedicated servers.
The move reflects a broader reassessment of the studio’s commitment to live‑service shooter titles after a decade of operation, and hints at a forthcoming change in creative direction that could lead to entirely new types of gaming experiences. The community can still enjoy the games via the new P2P system, and Empulse will receive a final map update and price cut as a parting gift, while Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will continue to function through its server browser.
The future of 1047 Games, while currently undefined, appears poised to explore new horizons beyond the live‑service shooter genre.