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) networking model as of September 3. The decision marks a 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 the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the studio had continued to subsidize those costs in an effort to give the titles a chance to grow their player bases, it ultimately concluded that the model had become financially untenable. "We have loved working on these games, playing them, and building them with this community, and we wish we could continue supporting them," the post read, underscoring the emotional attachment the developers have to their creations and to the fans who have supported them. Effective September 3, the dedicated servers for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down. Matchmaking will no longer rely on the studio‑run backend; instead, both games will adopt a P2P approach that uses a server browser, allowing players to host their own sessions and locate opponents directly.
To give the community a final boost, Empulse will receive one last map addition and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio described as the "final update" for the title. This move mirrors a similar transition that occurred with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were taken offline, the game was shifted to a P2P architecture and remains fully playable on PC and console platforms. The precedent suggests that 1047 Games believes the core gameplay can survive without the overhead of managed servers, provided the community is willing to host and join games themselves.
The background to this shift is steeped in recent turbulence. 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 portions of the player base. Within a month of release, the studio announced a round of layoffs, the exact number of affected staff remaining undisclosed. A further month later, the developers rolled the title back into a beta state and initiated a second wave of staff reductions, signaling significant internal challenges.
Empulse, positioned as a 6‑v‑6 movement 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 broader financial strain the studio was experiencing. Despite the hype surrounding its fast‑paced mobility mechanics and high‑skill ceiling, the game struggled to attract a sustainable player base in a crowded market. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in a separate statement, noting that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the studio’s focus is evolving.
"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 announcement did not provide specifics about the current staffing situation, although the company has already undergone several layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse’s early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the cessation of active development on these two titles will trigger additional reductions.
Industry observers interpret the move as an acknowledgment that the live‑service shooter model, which once promised ongoing revenue through microtransactions and seasonal content, is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain without a massive, continuously engaged player base. By shifting to P2P hosting, 1047 Games reduces its operational costs while still offering fans a way to enjoy the games they love, albeit with a more community‑driven matchmaking system. For players, the transition means that the seamless matchmaking experience provided by dedicated servers will disappear.
Instead, they will need to rely on the in‑game server browser to find matches, and host‑based sessions may introduce variable latency depending on individual host connections. Nonetheless, the studio’s decision to release a final map for Empulse and apply a price cut demonstrates a commitment to giving the community a respectful send‑off. Looking ahead, the co‑founders hinted that the studio’s next project could diverge significantly from the shooter genre that has defined its identity.
While details remain scarce, the emphasis on “learning from the past” suggests that whatever they develop next will incorporate the hard‑won lessons of running live‑service games, likely focusing on more sustainable monetization models or entirely new gameplay experiences. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3, and providing a final content update for Empulse. The decision reflects broader financial pressures, a series of layoffs, and a strategic reorientation away from live‑service shooters after a decade of operation.
The studio’s future direction remains to be seen, but the founders reaffirm their passion for game creation and their intent to apply past insights to whatever comes next.