1047 Games has announced that it will stop 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 significant pivot for the studio, which has spent the past decade concentrating 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 subsidise those costs in an effort to give the titles a chance to find a larger audience, it ultimately concluded that this approach 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 announcement read, underscoring the bittersweet nature of the move.
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 peer‑to‑peer system that includes a server browser, allowing them to host their own matches and locate others who are doing the same.
As a parting gesture, Empulse will receive one final new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio described as the game's "final update." This is not the first time 1047 Games has transitioned a title to P2P hosting. The original Splitgate made the same switch last year after its dedicated servers were taken offline, and the game remains fully playable on both PC and console platforms. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a wave of controversy. The release was accompanied by a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate within the community.
Within a month of launch, the studio announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a further month later it placed the game "back to beta" and initiated a second wave of staff reductions. Empulse, billed as a 6‑v‑6 movement‑focused shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. The title's debut was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting the studio's ongoing financial pressures. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a broader strategic shift.
After ten years of building live‑service shooters, they said the company’s focus is now "changing" and that future projects may look very different from anything fans have come to expect from 1047 Games. "We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the founders wrote. "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 statement did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, though it is worth noting that 1047 Games has already undergone several rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse launched. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will precipitate additional reductions.
The shift to peer‑to‑peer hosting means that both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will no longer benefit from the low‑latency, centrally managed matchmaking that dedicated servers provide. Instead, players will need to rely on community‑run servers, which can vary in performance and stability depending on host hardware and network conditions. The inclusion of a server browser aims to mitigate these issues by making it easier for users to locate active games, but the overall experience may feel less polished than the studio’s previous live‑service model. From a business perspective, the move reflects a broader industry trend where mid‑size developers reassess the viability of maintaining costly server back‑ends for niche titles.
While dedicated servers offer a smoother, more controlled environment, they also require continuous investment in hardware, bandwidth, and ongoing maintenance. For games that struggle to attract a large, paying player base, the financial burden can quickly outweigh the benefits. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could diverge sharply from the shooter genre altogether.
The founders emphasized that the core motivation—creating games they are passionate about—remains unchanged. This suggests that future projects may explore new mechanics, narrative‑driven experiences, or perhaps even venture into emerging platforms such as cloud gaming or virtual reality.
For fans of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the transition means that the communities built around these titles will need to adapt. Existing player groups are likely to organize private servers, share hosting tips, and perhaps develop community‑run matchmaking tools to preserve the competitive spirit of the games. The final map for Empulse and the price cut serve as a small consolation, offering a fresh piece of content and a more affordable entry point for newcomers who wish to experience the games before they fully transition to P2P.
In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on two of its flagship shooters, moving them to a peer‑to‑peer architecture as part of a larger strategic realignment away from live‑service models. The studio acknowledges the financial realities that prompted the change, expresses gratitude to its community, and hints at a new creative direction that could redefine its identity in the gaming landscape.