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 as of September 3. The decision marks a significant strategic pivot for the studio, which has spent the past decade concentrating on live‑service first‑person shooters.
In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer justifies the ongoing expense of maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the studio had previously absorbed those costs in the hope that the titles would eventually become self‑sustaining, it now acknowledges that this approach has 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 bittersweet nature of the announcement. Starting September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be decommissioned.
Players will instead rely on a server‑browser‑driven P2P system that allows anyone to host a match and invite others, ensuring that the games remain playable despite the loss of centralized matchmaking. As a parting gesture, Empulse will receive a final new map and a price reduction across all regions, which the studio has billed as the game’s “final update.” This move mirrors a similar transition that the original Splitgate underwent last year. After its dedicated servers were shut down, the title shifted to P2P hosting and continues to be accessible on PC and console platforms. The precedent suggests that 1047 Games is attempting to preserve the community experience while cutting the recurring costs associated with server farms.
The background to this shift 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 drew criticism from portions of the player base. Within weeks of the launch, the company announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a month later it rolled the game back into a beta state, prompting a second wave of staff reductions. Empulse, billed as a 6v6 movement shooter and spiritual heir to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026.
Its debut was quickly followed by multiple layoffs, reflecting the studio’s struggle to balance development costs with a relatively modest player base. Founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a broader re‑orientation for the company.
"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 co‑founders reflected on the studio’s history, noting that more than 25 million gamers have experienced their titles and that many relationships forged during that time have endured beyond the business. While the statement did not directly address the current staffing situation, it is worth noting that 1047 Games has already undergone several rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s early‑access release.
It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions, but the pattern suggests a continued effort to streamline operations and reduce overhead. The shift to peer‑to‑peer hosting is not without its challenges. P2P models can introduce issues such as increased latency, reliance on host stability, and potential exposure to cheating, all of which can affect player satisfaction.
However, for studios facing unsustainable server costs, the trade‑off often becomes necessary to keep a game alive in any form. By providing a server browser, 1047 Games hopes to give players the tools they need to find reliable hosts and maintain a functional matchmaking experience.
In the broader context of the industry, 1047 Games’ decision reflects a growing awareness that not every shooter can thrive as a live‑service product. The market has become saturated with titles that promise constant updates, seasonal events, and monetization streams, but only a fraction achieve the scale needed to justify the hefty infrastructure expenses. Studios that cannot secure a steady influx of revenue are increasingly forced to reconsider their business models, either by scaling back live services, transitioning to alternative hosting solutions, or, in some cases, shutting down projects entirely.
Looking ahead, the founders hinted that the studio’s next venture could diverge sharply from its previous focus. While they did not provide specifics, the emphasis on “what we build next may look very different” suggests an openness to exploring new genres, platforms, or perhaps even non‑game experiences. Their commitment to “making games” remains the core motivation, and they intend to carry forward the lessons learned from a decade of live‑service development.
For the community, the immediate impact is clear: players of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will need to adapt to the new P2P environment, seek out hosts via the server browser, and enjoy the final content updates promised by the studio. The transition also serves as a reminder of the volatile nature of the modern gaming industry, where even well‑funded studios must constantly evaluate the financial viability of their projects and be prepared to make difficult decisions in response to market realities.