1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, opting to move the two titles to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model. The decision marks a clear pivot for the studio after a decade of concentrating on live‑service shooter experiences. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the developers explained that neither title is generating sufficient revenue to justify the continued expense of maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the company had previously subsidised those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, 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 studio wrote, expressing both gratitude and disappointment at the need to scale back.
Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be deactivated. Players will instead rely on a P2P system that utilizes a server‑browser interface, allowing them to host their own matches and discover others’ sessions.
As part of what the company has dubbed the "final update" for Empulse, the team will also release one last new map and apply a universal price reduction across all regions. This move mirrors a similar transition that occurred with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were shut down, Splitgate shifted to a P2P architecture and remains fully playable today, including on console platforms.
Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a storm of controversy. The release was accompanied by a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a costly $145 cosmetic bundle, which sparked backlash within the gaming community. Within a month of launch, 1047 Games announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a further wave of staff reductions followed when the title was rolled back to beta status. 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.
The game’s debut was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, underscoring the financial pressure the studio has been facing. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the broader strategic shift in a follow‑up statement. They emphasized that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the company’s focus is evolving, and future projects may look very different from anything fans have come to associate with 1047 Games.
"We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the founders 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 include specific details about the current staffing situation, although the studio has already undergone several layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse’s early‑access launch.
It remains uncertain whether the latest shift to P2P hosting will trigger additional personnel cuts. For players, the transition means that from early September the familiar matchmaking queues will disappear, replaced by a community‑driven lobby system where hosts advertise their games and others join directly. While this model reduces operational costs for the developer, it also places greater responsibility on players to ensure stable connections and fair play, as P2P can be more susceptible to latency issues and potential cheating. The final map slated for Empulse is intended to give the community a parting gift, offering fresh terrain and objectives that showcase the game’s signature fast‑paced, parkour‑style combat.
The universal price cut is expected to make the title more accessible for newcomers who may have been hesitant to invest in a game whose long‑term support now appears limited. Industry analysts view 1047 Games’ decision as indicative of a broader trend where mid‑size studios reassess the viability of live‑service models, especially when server costs outpace revenue. The shift toward P2P hosting can extend a game’s lifespan at a fraction of the expense, but it also signals that the studio is stepping back from the high‑maintenance, continuously updated ecosystem that live‑service shooters demand. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both to peer‑to‑peer hosting on September 3, offering a final map and price reduction for Empulse, and signaling a strategic departure from the live‑service shooter genre that defined its first decade.
The long‑term impact on the player communities and the studio’s future direction will become clearer as the company unveils its next venture.