1047 Games announced that it will stop active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving the two titles to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model as part of a broader strategic pivot away from the live‑service shooter genre after a decade of focus. In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the studio explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the company had previously subsidised those costs in an effort to give each title a chance to grow its player base, it now finds that approach "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.
The message conveyed a mixture of gratitude and disappointment, underscoring the difficulty of keeping niche multiplayer experiences alive in a market dominated by larger, more profitable services. Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be decommissioned.
Players will instead rely on a P2P system that uses a server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and locate others who are doing the same. To give the community a final gesture of goodwill, Empulse will receive one last new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio described as the "final update" for the game. This transition mirrors the path taken by the original Splitgate, which also shifted to P2P hosting last year after its dedicated servers were shut down.
That move kept the game playable on PC and console, albeit with a different networking architecture that places more responsibility on individual hosts. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became a lightning rod for controversy. The launch included a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from portions of the gaming community. Within a month of the release, 1047 Games announced layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff members.
A further month later, the company pushed the title back into a beta state and initiated a second round of cuts, signaling ongoing financial strain. Empulse, positioned as a 6v6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. The title's launch was followed by several rounds of layoffs within weeks, indicating that the game was not meeting the studio's revenue expectations either.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in focus in their statement, noting that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the studio is ready for a change. "What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they wrote, but emphasized that their core motivation—making games they love—remains unchanged. They highlighted that more than 25 million players have experienced their titles over the past decade, and many of those interactions have turned into lasting friendships. The announcement did not provide specific details about the current staffing situation.
However, the company has already undergone multiple rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse's early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest news will trigger additional reductions. In broader industry terms, 1047 Games' decision reflects a growing trend among mid‑size developers to reassess the viability of live‑service models, especially when server costs outpace player spending.
The shift to P2P hosting reduces operational expenses but can introduce challenges such as increased latency, host‑advantage issues, and a reliance on community‑run match organization. For players, this means a more hands‑on approach to finding and hosting games, but it also preserves the ability to continue playing without a central server.
Looking ahead, the studio hinted that future projects could diverge significantly from their shooter roots. While no concrete details were offered, the co‑founders' remarks suggest a willingness to explore new genres or gameplay experiences, leveraging the lessons learned from a decade of live‑service development. Fans of 1047 Games will likely be watching closely for any hints about upcoming announcements, hoping that the studio's next venture will retain the innovative spirit that characterized titles like Splitgate and Empulse, even if the format changes. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, transitioning both games to peer‑to‑peer hosting on September 3.
The move follows a period of financial difficulty, multiple layoffs, and community controversy surrounding recent releases. While the studio's future direction remains vague, the leadership assures that their passion for game creation endures, and they intend to apply the insights gained over ten years to whatever comes next.