1047 Games announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both games to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model. The decision marks a significant strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooter experiences. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the company explained that neither title has been able to generate sufficient revenue to offset the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the studio continued to subsidise those costs in the hope that the games might 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 developers wrote, underscoring the bittersweet nature of the announcement. 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 complemented by a server‑browser interface, allowing them to host their own matches and locate others without the need for centralised servers.
As part of what the studio has dubbed the "final update" for Empulse, the game will receive one last new map and a price reduction across all regions. This transition mirrors a similar move made with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were shut down, the title shifted to P2P hosting and remains fully playable today, including on console platforms. The precedent suggests that 1047 Games hopes to keep the community alive even without the financial overhead of proprietary server farms.
The background to this shift is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a wave of controversy, most notably a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from players. Within weeks of release, the company announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a month later the game was rolled back to beta status, prompting a second wave of staff reductions.
Empulse, positioned as a 6‑v‑6 movement‑based shooter and often described as 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.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a broader change in direction. "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," they said. The duo highlighted that more than 25 million gamers have experienced their titles over the past decade, and many of those interactions have forged lasting friendships.
While the press release did not explicitly address the current staffing situation, the company has already endured several layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions. The move to P2P hosting is not without its challenges.
Peer‑to‑peer networks can introduce latency issues, increase the potential for cheating, and place a greater technical burden on individual players who must host games on their own hardware. However, for studios facing prohibitive server costs, it offers a pragmatic way to keep a game alive without incurring ongoing expenses. By providing a server‑browser system, 1047 Games aims to give the community tools to find stable hosts and maintain a viable matchmaking experience. Industry observers note that the shift may reflect a larger trend among mid‑size developers who attempted to emulate the live‑service model popularized by larger publishers but found the financial demands unsustainable.
Maintaining dedicated servers, continuous content pipelines, and robust anti‑cheat systems can quickly outpace revenue, especially when a title fails to achieve a critical mass of concurrent players. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next project could diverge sharply from the shooter genre that defined its brand. The founders emphasized that the lessons learned over ten years will inform future endeavors, suggesting a possible exploration of new IPs, genres, or business models that do not rely on the high‑cost live‑service framework.
For players of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the transition means that the community will need to adapt to a more decentralized matchmaking environment. Those who wish to continue enjoying the games are encouraged to join community Discords, forums, or other social hubs where hosts can coordinate matches.
The final map update for Empulse and the price drop are intended as a goodwill gesture, giving fans a fresh experience and a more accessible entry point before the servers go offline. In summary, 1047 Games is closing the chapter on its live‑service shooter era by ending active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and moving both titles to peer‑to‑peer hosting.
The decision reflects financial realities, a series of layoffs, and a desire to explore new creative directions. While the future of the studio remains uncertain, the company’s commitment to its community and its love of game‑making remain at the core of its identity.