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 significant strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service first‑person shooters. In a brief statement posted on 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 subsidize those costs in the hope that the player bases would eventually grow to a sustainable level, 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 announcement read. "Unfortunately, the financial realities force us to change course." Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down.
Players will instead rely on a P2P system complemented by a server browser that lets users locate and join matches hosted by other community members. To give the community a proper send‑off, Empulse will receive one final new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio described as the game's "final update." 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 of Splitgate remains fully functional today on PC and consoles, demonstrating that the model can keep a game alive even without central server support. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became embroiled in controversy. The launch featured a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash across the gaming community.
Within a month of release, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A further month later the studio pushed the title back into beta, accompanied by a second wave of staff reductions.
Empulse, billed as a 6‑v‑6 movement‑focused shooter and positioned as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its debut was followed by several rounds of layoffs within a matter of weeks, indicating that the studio was already feeling the strain of under‑performing live‑service titles. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a broader change in direction.
"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 statement did not provide details about current staffing levels, although the company has already undergone multiple layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse launched.
It remains uncertain whether the latest shift to P2P hosting will trigger additional reductions or if the studio will stabilize its workforce as it re‑evaluates its development pipeline. Industry observers note that the move away from dedicated servers is a pragmatic response to the high operational costs associated with live‑service games, especially when player retention and monetisation fall short of expectations. By handing hosting responsibilities to the community, 1047 Games can dramatically cut ongoing expenses while still offering a playable experience for dedicated fans. For players, the transition means that matchmaking will no longer be automatically handled by the studio’s servers.
Instead, gamers will need to browse available host sessions, join friend‑hosted games, or set up their own servers. This shift can introduce higher latency for some users and may increase the prevalence of cheating, issues that dedicated server environments typically mitigate.
However, the studio has indicated that it will continue to provide basic anti‑cheat support and will monitor the health of the P2P network. The final update for Empulse, which includes the new map and price cut, is intended to give the community a reason to return one last time before the infrastructure change. No further content updates are planned for either title, and the developers have encouraged fans to share feedback and suggestions for future projects during this transitional period.
Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could diverge sharply from the live‑service shooter formula that defined its past decade. While specifics remain under wraps, the co‑founders emphasized a continued passion for game creation and a commitment to applying the hard‑won lessons from their previous endeavors. In summary, the cessation of active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, combined with the shift to peer‑to‑peer hosting, reflects both financial necessity and a strategic realignment for 1047 Games. The studio’s future direction appears to be in flux, but its founders reaffirm their dedication to making games that resonate with players, even if the genre and delivery model evolve dramatically from what fans have come to expect.