1047 Games has announced that it will stop active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. The decision marks a strategic pivot for the studio, which after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooter experiences, is now moving toward a different development model.
Beginning on September 3, both games will abandon their dedicated server infrastructure and will instead rely on peer‑to‑peer networking, allowing players to host matches themselves via a built‑in server browser. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two titles was insufficient to sustain the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated servers.
While the studio had previously subsidised those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it ultimately concluded that continuing to do so was no longer financially 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.
The transition to peer‑to‑peer will be accompanied by a final content update for Empulse. Players can expect one last map to be added, and the game’s price will be reduced across all regions as part of what the studio has dubbed the "final update" for the title. Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will follow a similar path, with its matchmaking and dedicated server services being shut down on the same date. The shift mirrors a previous move made with the original Splitgate, which also migrated to peer‑to‑peer hosting after its dedicated servers were taken offline last year.
That version of Splitgate remains fully playable today, including on console platforms. The background to these changes is rooted in a turbulent period for 1047 Games. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a swirl of controversy, notably the inclusion of a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a pricey $145 cosmetic bundle.
Within weeks of release, the studio announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A month later, the developers pushed the game back into a beta state and initiated a second wave of staff reductions. These events signalled deep challenges in sustaining the live‑service model the company had relied on.
Empulse, marketed as a 6‑versus‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its launch was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting similar financial pressures.
Both titles struggled to attract a stable, revenue‑generating player base, leading the leadership to reconsider their long‑term strategy. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in a candid statement.
They emphasized that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the studio’s focus is evolving. "What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they said, while reaffirming their core passion: "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 1047 Games has already undergone several layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest development will trigger additional reductions.
From a broader industry perspective, the move away from dedicated server infrastructures reflects a growing trend among mid‑size studios grappling with the high operational costs of live‑service models. Peer‑to‑peer hosting, while less costly, also places more responsibility on players to manage matchmaking and connectivity, potentially altering the overall gameplay experience. For fans of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the change means they can still enjoy the core mechanics of the games, but they will need to rely on community‑hosted sessions rather than the studio‑run servers that previously ensured smoother matchmaking and reduced latency. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, transitioning both titles to a peer‑to‑peer framework as of September 3.
The studio’s decision underscores the financial realities of maintaining dedicated servers for games that struggle to generate sufficient revenue. While the final Empulse update will add a new map and lower the price point, the broader message from the founders is one of adaptation and continued dedication to game creation, even if future projects diverge from the live‑service shooter formula that defined the company for a decade.