1047 Games has announced that it will stop active development on its two flagship shooters, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. Beginning on September 3, the studio will retire the dedicated server infrastructure for both games and move them to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) model with a built‑in server browser, allowing players to continue hosting matches themselves. This decision marks a broader strategic pivot for the company after a decade of focusing on live‑service, multiplayer‑first titles.
In a brief post on X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the ongoing expenses of maintaining dedicated servers. While they had previously subsidised those costs in an effort to give the titles a chance to grow their player bases, the studio concluded that the model had become financially unsustainable. "We have loved working on these games, playing them, and building them with this community, and we wish we could continue supporting them," the statement read, underscoring the bittersweet nature of the announcement. From the September 3 transition date, matchmaking and server‑side services will be disabled for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded.
Instead, each game will rely on a P2P architecture where individual players host their own sessions. To aid the community, a server‑browser interface will be added, making it easier for users to discover and join active lobbies. As a parting gesture, Empulse will receive one final map and a price reduction across all regions, which the studio billed as the "final update" for the title.
This move mirrors a similar shift that 1047 Games made with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were shut down, the game was converted to P2P hosting and remains fully playable on PC and consoles.
The transition proved that the core gameplay could survive without a central server farm, but it also highlighted the challenges of sustaining a live‑service model when player numbers dwindle. The background to these changes is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio.
Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a storm of controversy, including a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from the community. Within weeks of release, 1047 Games announced layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff members. A further round of cuts followed a month later when the game was rolled back to beta status, prompting a second wave of reductions.
Empulse, marketed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its launch was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting the studio's struggle to balance development costs with a modest player base. Both titles, despite their initial hype and dedicated followings, failed to achieve the revenue thresholds needed to justify the continued operation of dedicated server infrastructure. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a shift in the company's creative direction.
"We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," they wrote. "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 future staffing levels, although the company has already undergone several layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's early‑access debut.
It remains uncertain whether the September transition will trigger additional reductions or if the studio will stabilize its workforce as it reorients its development pipeline. Industry observers note that the shift away from live‑service shooters could be a pragmatic response to market saturation. Over the past decade, the multiplayer shooter space has become increasingly competitive, with major publishers investing heavily in ongoing content updates, esports ecosystems, and robust server back‑ends. Smaller studios like 1047 Games often find it difficult to compete for player attention and subscription revenue, especially when their titles do not achieve breakout success.
By moving to peer‑to‑peer hosting, 1047 Games can dramatically cut operational expenses while still offering a playable experience to its existing community. However, P2P models come with trade‑offs, such as increased latency for some players, potential security concerns, and reliance on a stable host. The addition of a server browser aims to mitigate these issues by giving players more control over which matches they join.
Looking ahead, the studio's leadership hinted that future projects may diverge from the live‑service formula. While no concrete details have been disclosed, the emphasis on "what we build next may look very different" suggests a possible pivot toward single‑player experiences, narrative‑driven games, or perhaps a different kind of multiplayer architecture that does not depend on costly server farms. For now, fans of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded can continue to enjoy the games in their new P2P format, with Empulse receiving a final map and a discounted price as a farewell gift.
The community's response will likely shape how 1047 Games proceeds with its next venture, as the studio seeks to translate a decade of lessons into a fresh creative direction.