1047 Games has announced that it will stop active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving the two titles to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking model as of September 3. The decision marks a clear pivot for the studio, which has spent the past decade concentrating on live‑service shooter experiences. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the company explained that neither title is generating sufficient revenue to justify the ongoing expense of maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the studio had continued to subsidise those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it now finds the model "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, underscoring the emotional attachment the developers feel toward their projects.
Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down. Players will instead rely on a P2P system complemented by a server browser, allowing them to host their own matches and locate opponents without the need for centralised servers.
As part of what the studio calls the "final update" for Empulse, the game will receive one last new map and a price reduction across all regions. This transition mirrors the path taken with the original Splitgate, which also moved to a P2P architecture last year after its dedicated servers were retired. That version remains fully playable today, including on console platforms, demonstrating that a community can sustain a title even without the backing of proprietary server farms. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a storm of controversy.
The release was accompanied by a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate among players and commentators. Within weeks, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A month later the studio pushed the title back into beta and initiated a second wave of staff reductions, further destabilising the project. Empulse, positioned as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026.
The title's launch was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting the company's broader financial pressures. Founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a strategic shift.
After ten years focused on live‑service shooters, they said the studio's future direction "is changing" and that whatever they create next "may look very different" from the expectations associated with the 1047 Games brand. "We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the co‑founders stated. "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 press release did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, although the studio has already endured several layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will precipitate additional reductions.
By moving both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded to a peer‑to‑peer model, 1047 Games hopes to keep the communities alive while eliminating the high operational costs associated with dedicated servers. This approach places the responsibility for matchmaking and game stability in the hands of players, a model that can work well for titles with a dedicated, technically savvy fan base but may also introduce challenges such as increased latency, host‑advantage concerns, and a reliance on player‑run moderation. The broader industry context shows a growing number of mid‑size studios reevaluating the live‑service paradigm.
While the model can generate steady revenue through microtransactions and seasonal content, it also demands constant updates, server upkeep, and a robust pipeline of new content—expenses that can quickly outpace income if a game fails to achieve a critical mass of active users. 1047 Games' decision reflects this tension and underscores the difficulty of sustaining live‑service shooters in an increasingly competitive market.
Fans of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded are encouraged to explore the new server‑browser system and to continue supporting each other through community‑run events and forums. The final map for Empulse and the price drop are intended as a farewell gesture, giving players one last reason to dive into the game before the official server shutdown.
Looking ahead, the founders hinted that 1047 Games may explore genres or business models that diverge from the live‑service shooter formula. Whether that means a return to single‑player narratives, a venture into indie‑style experimental projects, or a completely new multiplayer experience remains to be seen.
What is clear is that the studio intends to apply the lessons learned over a decade of operating live‑service titles to whatever comes next, with the ultimate goal of creating games that resonate with players and sustain a healthy development environment.