1047 Games announced that it will cease active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving the two titles to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model as the company signals a strategic pivot away from the live‑service shooter genre after a decade of focus. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the studio explained that neither title is generating sufficient revenue to sustain the continuous expense of maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the company had previously absorbed those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it now finds the model "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. "Unfortunately, the financial realities force us to make a difficult decision." Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down. Players will instead rely on a P2P system that uses a server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and discover others' sessions.
As a parting gesture, Empulse will receive one final new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio described as the game's "final update." This is not the first time 1047 Games has shifted a title from dedicated servers to P2P. The original Splitgate made the same transition last year after its central servers were decommissioned, and the game remains fully playable on PC and console under the new architecture. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a swirl of controversy.
The release was accompanied by a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate within the community. Within a month of launch, the studio announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a further month later the game was rolled back to a beta state, prompting a second wave of staff reductions. Empulse, marketed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. The title’s debut was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting the broader financial strain the company has been experiencing.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian said the decision marks a fundamental change in the company's direction after ten years of building live‑service shooters. "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 public statement did not provide specifics about the current staffing situation, though the company has already undergone several rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's early‑access launch. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions.
The shift to peer‑to‑peer hosting means that players will now be responsible for hosting their own game sessions, which can introduce variability in performance depending on individual internet connections and hardware. However, it also removes the ongoing cost burden of maintaining centralized servers, allowing the studio to allocate resources elsewhere. For fans of Empulse, the final map addition and price cut serve as a modest farewell gesture, while Splitgate: Arena Reloaded players will continue to enjoy the core experience through community‑run matches.
Industry observers note that 1047 Games' move reflects a broader trend among mid‑size developers who find the live‑service model increasingly risky without a massive, consistently paying player base. The high operational costs of dedicated servers, combined with the volatility of in‑game monetisation, have forced many studios to reevaluate their business strategies.
Looking ahead, the founders hinted that future projects may diverge significantly from the fast‑paced, competitive shooter formula that defined their previous releases. While details remain scarce, the emphasis on "what we build next may look very different" suggests a possible exploration of new genres, perhaps single‑player narratives, cooperative experiences, or even non‑gaming interactive media. For now, the community that has grown around Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is encouraged to keep the games alive through the new P2P system, organize their own tournaments, and continue to share feedback with the developers.
The studio's commitment to preserving the games in some form—despite the cessation of official support—offers a glimmer of hope that the titles will retain a foothold in the competitive shooter landscape, albeit in a more grassroots, player‑driven capacity. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on its two most recent shooters, transitioning both to peer‑to‑peer hosting, providing a final content update for Empulse, and signalling a strategic shift away from the live‑service shooter model that has defined its output for the past decade. The company's next steps remain to be seen, but the founders reaffirm their passion for game creation and their intent to apply hard‑won lessons to whatever comes next.