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 as of September 3. The decision marks a significant pivot for the studio, which has spent the past decade concentrating on live‑service first‑person shooters.
In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer justifies the ongoing expense of maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the studio continued to subsidise those costs in an effort to give the titles a chance to grow, it ultimately 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 developers wrote, expressing both gratitude and disappointment. Starting 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 server‑browser system that enables them to host matches directly from their own machines, effectively converting the games to a P2P architecture. To give the community a final boost, Empulse will receive one last new map and a price reduction across all regions as part of what the studio is calling the "final update" for the title. This move mirrors a similar transition that occurred with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were retired, the game was shifted to P2P hosting and remains fully playable today, including on console platforms.
The pattern suggests that 1047 Games is choosing to preserve the ability for players to enjoy the games, even if it means sacrificing the polished matchmaking experience that dedicated servers provide. The background to this decision is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became mired in controversy.
The launch featured a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from the 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 company pushed the title back into a beta phase and initiated a second wave of staff reductions, signaling deep operational challenges. Empulse, positioned as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026.
Its launch was similarly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs within weeks, indicating that the studio was struggling to sustain development costs for both projects simultaneously. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to outline a broader strategic shift. "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 specifics about the current staffing situation, although it is known that 1047 Games has already undergone several layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse's early‑access debut. Whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions remains uncertain. Industry observers see this as part of a larger trend where mid‑size studios, after investing heavily in live‑service infrastructure, reassess the viability of that model when player retention and monetisation fall short of expectations.
Dedicated servers are expensive to operate, and without a steady stream of revenue from subscriptions, battle passes, or high‑value cosmetics, the cost‑benefit balance can quickly tip unfavourably. By moving to a peer‑to‑peer system, 1047 Games eliminates the need for costly server farms while still allowing its community to play. However, the trade‑off includes potential issues such as increased latency, reliance on host players for match stability, and a less controlled environment for anti‑cheat measures. For many dedicated fans, the ability to continue playing may outweigh these drawbacks, especially when the alternative would be a complete shutdown.
Looking ahead, the studio's leadership hinted that future projects could diverge sharply from the live‑service shooter formula that defined their brand for a decade. While no concrete details have been revealed, the co‑founders emphasized that the core passion for game creation remains unchanged. They pledged to apply the hard‑won lessons from their recent challenges to whatever new direction they pursue, whether that involves smaller, single‑player experiences, narrative‑driven titles, or perhaps a return to a more traditional multiplayer model without the heavy live‑service infrastructure. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, transitioning both to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3, and offering a final content update for Empulse.
The move reflects a strategic retreat from the costly live‑service shooter niche after a decade of operation, marked by controversial releases and multiple rounds of layoffs. While the studio's next steps remain vague, its founders reaffirm their commitment to making games and promise that the experience gained over the past ten years will inform their future endeavors.