1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. The decision comes as part of a broader strategic pivot away from the live‑service shooter model that the studio has pursued for the past decade. Effective September 3, both games will abandon their dedicated server infrastructure and move to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking system, allowing players to host matches themselves via a server browser. In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the company explained that neither title is generating sufficient revenue to offset the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated servers.
While the studio had previously subsidized 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 sustainable." The developers expressed genuine affection for the projects, noting that they have enjoyed building and playing the games alongside their communities, and lamented that they cannot keep providing the level of support they would like. From the September 3 transition date, matchmaking and dedicated server support will be disabled for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded.
Players will instead rely on a P2P model, where individual users act as hosts and other players join via a server browser. This approach mirrors the path taken with the original Splitgate, which switched to peer‑to‑peer hosting last year after its dedicated servers were shut down. That earlier migration proved viable, as the game remains fully playable on PC and consoles. As part of what the studio has dubbed the "final update" for Empulse, the team will release one last new map and apply a price reduction across all regions.
This gesture is intended to give the community a modest send‑off before the game fully transitions to its new networking architecture. The background to this move is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio.
Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid considerable controversy, including the inclusion of a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from many players. Within weeks of the launch, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed.
A month later the company pushed the title back into a beta state and initiated a second wave of staff reductions, further destabilizing the project. Empulse, marketed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and spiritual successor to the beloved Titanfall series, entered early access in June 2026. The title's debut was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting the studio's ongoing financial strain and the difficulty of sustaining two large‑scale multiplayer projects simultaneously.
Founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in direction in the same X post. They emphasized that after ten years of concentrating on live‑service shooters, the company's focus is now changing.
"What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they wrote, but added that the core motivation—"we love making games"—remains unchanged. The co‑founders reflected on the studio's history, noting that more than 25 million players have experienced their games and that many of those interactions have blossomed into lifelong friendships.
The announcement did not provide specific details about the current staffing situation. However, it follows a pattern of repeated layoffs that have occurred throughout the year, the most recent of which took place in July, just weeks after Empulse's early‑access launch. It remains uncertain whether the September transition will trigger additional reductions or if the studio will stabilize with a smaller, more focused team.
From a broader industry perspective, 1047 Games' decision underscores the challenges that mid‑size developers face when attempting to sustain live‑service models. Maintaining dedicated servers, providing regular content updates, and supporting a competitive matchmaking ecosystem demand substantial ongoing investment.
When revenue streams fall short, the financial burden can quickly become untenable, prompting studios to either secure external funding, downsize, or, as in this case, pivot to a less costly P2P architecture. For the community, the shift to peer‑to‑peer hosting means that matchmaking will rely on player‑hosted sessions, which can introduce variability in latency and game stability. Nonetheless, the server‑browser system will give players the ability to locate and join games hosted by others, preserving the core multiplayer experience.
The final map addition and price cut for Empulse aim to provide a modest incentive for players to continue engaging with the title during its final phase. Looking ahead, the founders hinted that future projects may diverge significantly from the live‑service shooter formula. While no concrete details have been released, the statement suggests that 1047 Games is open to exploring new genres, business models, or perhaps smaller‑scale experiences that align more closely with sustainable development practices. The studio's accumulated expertise—spanning game design, network engineering, and community management—could be repurposed into innovative titles that still reflect the team's passion for gaming.
In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both games to a peer‑to‑peer framework on September 3, and offering a final map and price reduction for Empulse. The move follows a period of financial difficulty, controversial releases, and multiple rounds of layoffs.
The founders assert that while the studio's future direction may differ from past expectations, their commitment to creating enjoyable games remains steadfast. The community will now adapt to the new hosting model, and observers will watch to see what creative path the studio charts next.