1047 Games announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both projects 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 developers 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 the hope that the titles would eventually become self‑sustaining, it now acknowledges that this approach has become "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 post read. The sentiment underscores the emotional connection the team feels toward its player base, even as financial realities force a change in direction. Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be deactivated.
Players will instead rely on a P2P system complemented by a server browser, allowing them to host their own matches and locate others who are doing the same. To give the community a proper send‑off, Empulse will receive a final map addition and a price reduction across all regions as part of what the studio has dubbed the "final update." This is not the first time 1047 Games has migrated a title to a peer‑to‑peer architecture. The original Splitgate made the same transition last year after its dedicated servers were shut down, and the game continues to be playable on PC and consoles. The move to P2P is intended to keep the core gameplay experience alive without the overhead of server farms.
The background to these decisions is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a wave of controversy, including the release of a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from parts of the community.
Within a month of the launch, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A further month later, the company pushed the title back into a beta state and initiated a second wave of staff reductions. Empulse, marketed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access only in June 2026.
Its debut was quickly followed by several rounds of layoffs, reflecting the studio's struggle to balance development costs with a relatively small player base. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a broader shift in the company's creative focus. "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 founders highlighted that more than 25 million players have experienced their games over the past decade, and many of those relationships have turned into lasting friendships.
The statement did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, although 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 launch. Whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions remains uncertain. From a broader industry perspective, the move away from dedicated servers reflects a growing awareness among developers that the live‑service model can be financially precarious, especially for mid‑size studios that lack the massive player bases of AAA publishers. Maintaining server hardware, bandwidth, and continuous matchmaking services can quickly outpace revenue, leading to tough choices like the ones 1047 Games now faces.
For players, the transition to peer‑to‑peer hosting brings both opportunities and challenges. On the positive side, the community retains the ability to play together without the need for official servers, and the addition of a server browser can foster a more grassroots matchmaking environment. However, P2P systems can be more vulnerable to latency issues, host advantage, and potential security concerns, which may affect the overall competitive balance. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, shifting both titles to a peer‑to‑peer model as of September 3.
The studio cites unsustainable server costs and a strategic pivot away from live‑service shooters after ten years of operation. While the community will lose official matchmaking, a final map update and price cut for Empulse aim to provide a respectful farewell. The company's future direction remains open, with the founders hinting at new, possibly very different, projects that will continue to reflect their passion for game creation.