1047 Games 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) hosting model. The decision marks a strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooters.
In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two titles no longer covers the expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the studio had continued to subsidise those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it ultimately concluded that the model had 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, underscoring the bittersweet tone of the announcement. Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down.
Players will instead rely on a P2P architecture that uses a server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and locate others who are doing the same. To give the community a proper send‑off, Empulse will receive one last new map and a price reduction across all regions as part of what the studio has termed the "final update" for the game. This is not the first time 1047 Games has transitioned a title from dedicated servers to a P2P model. The original Splitgate made the same switch last year after its own dedicated servers were retired, and the game remains fully playable on PC and consoles, albeit without the centralized matchmaking that once defined the experience.
The background to these moves is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid considerable controversy, including the release of a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate within the community. Within weeks of launch, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed.
A month later the company pushed the title back into beta and initiated a second wave of staff reductions, signaling deeper financial and operational challenges. Empulse, billed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. The game’s launch was quickly followed by several rounds of layoffs, reflecting the same strain on resources that had plagued Splitgate 2. Despite the hype surrounding its high‑velocity gameplay and parkour‑style mechanics, Empulse struggled to attract a sustainable player base in a crowded market.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to outline a broader shift in the company’s creative direction. "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." While the statement did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, it is clear that the company has already undergone multiple layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s launch. Whether the September transition will trigger additional reductions remains uncertain, but the tone suggests a period of consolidation and reevaluation. The move to peer‑to‑peer hosting is a pragmatic solution that allows the existing communities to keep playing without the overhead of dedicated servers.
However, it also places greater responsibility on players to manage latency, host stability, and matchmaking quality. For many, this shift may result in a less consistent experience, especially for those with limited bandwidth or who live far from other players. Industry observers note that 1047 Games' decision reflects a broader trend among mid‑size developers who have experimented with live‑service models only to discover that the ongoing costs of server maintenance, continuous content updates, and community management can outweigh the revenue generated, particularly when a game fails to achieve a critical mass of active users. The transition to P2P can extend a game's lifespan at a lower cost, but it also often signals the end of large‑scale competitive scenes and esports ambitions.
Looking ahead, the founders hinted that the studio’s next project could depart dramatically from the shooter genre that defined its brand. While no details were disclosed, the emphasis on "learning" and "changing focus" suggests that 1047 Games may explore new IPs, possibly in single‑player narratives, co‑op experiences, or even non‑gaming interactive media.
Fans of the studio will be watching closely to see whether the next chapter can recapture the excitement that once surrounded titles like Splitgate and Empulse. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, shifting both games to a peer‑to‑peer model as of September 3. The move follows a period of financial strain, controversial releases, and multiple rounds of layoffs.
While the studio’s future direction remains vague, the co‑founders reaffirm their commitment to game creation and hint at a potential pivot away from the live‑service shooter formula that has dominated their portfolio for the past ten years.