1047 Games has announced that it will stop active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both games to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking model as of September 3. The decision marks a significant strategic pivot for the studio, which has spent the past decade concentrating on live‑service first‑person shooters. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the studio explained that the revenue generated by the two titles no longer covers the ongoing expense of maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the company had continued to subsidise those costs in the hopes that the games would eventually achieve a sustainable player base, it now acknowledges that this approach is "no longer 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 sentiment underscores the difficulty of balancing development ambitions with the financial realities of operating large‑scale multiplayer services. Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for 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 discover others' sessions.
To give the community a proper send‑off, Empulse will receive one final map addition and a price reduction across all regions, which the studio has dubbed the "final update" for the title. This move mirrors the studio's earlier handling of the original Splitgate.
After its dedicated servers were shut down last year, Splitgate transitioned to P2P hosting and remains fully playable on PC and console platforms. The transition demonstrated that a well‑designed P2P architecture can keep a game alive even after official server support ends.
Splitgate 2, launched in June 2025, quickly became mired in controversy. The game introduced a "Make FPS Great Again" hat—a clear nod to political branding—and offered a $145 cosmetic bundle that many players deemed excessive. Within a month of release, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A further month later, the studio placed the title back into a beta state and initiated a second wave of staff reductions, signaling deeper operational challenges.
Empulse, positioned as a 6‑v‑6 movement‑focused shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its launch was followed by several rounds of layoffs within a matter of weeks, reflecting the turbulent environment surrounding the studio's live‑service projects.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to outline a broader shift in the company's vision. After ten years of building live‑service shooters, they said the studio's focus is now "changing," and that future projects may look very different from anything previously associated with 1047 Games.
"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 the current staffing situation, though it is known that 1047 Games has already undergone multiple layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will precipitate additional reductions.
The transition to peer‑to‑peer hosting has several implications for the player community. On the positive side, it eliminates the need for costly server maintenance, potentially allowing the studio to allocate resources toward content updates or new projects.
However, P2P networks can introduce challenges such as increased latency, reliance on host players' internet connections, and a higher susceptibility to cheating if robust anti‑cheat measures are not in place. For fans of Empulse, the final map and price cut serve as a modest farewell gesture. The new map adds fresh terrain and strategic opportunities for the game's fast‑paced, parkour‑style combat, while the price reduction makes the title more accessible to newcomers who may have been hesitant to purchase it at its original cost.
Splitgate: Arena Reloaded players will similarly benefit from the server browser, which gives them greater control over match settings and the ability to join community‑run lobbies. The shift also aligns with the original Splitgate's continued viability after its own server shutdown, suggesting that the community can sustain itself through player‑hosted sessions.
Overall, 1047 Games' decision reflects a broader industry trend where studios reassess the sustainability of live‑service models, especially when revenue streams fail to meet the high operational costs of dedicated server farms. By moving to peer‑to‑peer hosting, the studio hopes to keep its games alive for dedicated fans while freeing up capital to explore new genres or gameplay experiences that may better match market demand.
The future of 1047 Games remains uncertain, but the founders' emphasis on passion for game creation hints at a possible pivot toward projects that are less reliant on continuous server upkeep. Whether that means a return to single‑player experiences, smaller‑scale multiplayer titles, or entirely new IPs, the industry will be watching closely to see how a studio with a decade of live‑service pedigree reinvents itself in a rapidly evolving gaming landscape.