1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. The decision comes as the studio signals a strategic pivot away from the live‑service shooter model that has defined its work for the past decade. Effective September 3, both games will abandon their dedicated server infrastructure and move to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking model, allowing players to host matches themselves through a built‑in server browser.
In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two titles no longer covers the ongoing expenses of maintaining dedicated servers. While the studio had continued to subsidise those costs in hopes of fostering growth, it ultimately concluded that the financial burden had become "no longer sustainable." The message was tinged with regret: "We have loved working on these games, playing them, and building them with this community, and we wish we could continue supporting them," the developers wrote. The transition to P2P hosting will be accompanied by a final content update for Empulse. Players can expect one new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio has billed as the game's concluding patch.
After the September 3 cutoff, the dedicated matchmaking services for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be deactivated, and the titles will rely on player‑hosted sessions. This approach mirrors the path taken with the original Splitgate, which also shifted to P2P hosting after its dedicated servers were retired last year.
That version remains fully playable on PC and console, demonstrating that a community‑driven hosting model can keep a game alive even after official support wanes. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became a lightning rod for controversy. The launch featured a "Make FPS Great Again" hat reminiscent of political slogans and a high‑priced cosmetic bundle priced at $145.
Within weeks, the studio announced a wave of layoffs, the exact number of affected staff remaining undisclosed. A month later, the developers pushed the title back into beta and initiated a second round of workforce reductions. These events underscored the volatility of the live‑service market, where rapid shifts in player sentiment and monetisation strategies can have immediate repercussions for a studio's financial health. Empulse, positioned as a 6‑vs‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026.
The title promised fast‑paced combat, parkour‑style traversal, and a focus on team‑based tactics. However, the early access period was marred by multiple rounds of layoffs that unfolded within weeks of launch, further highlighting the precarious nature of the studio's fiscal situation.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to articulate a broader shift in the company's vision. After ten years of concentrating on live‑service shooters, they said the studio's focus is now "changing" and that future projects may look very different from what fans have come to expect from 1047 Games.
"We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the duo reflected. "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 public statement did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, but it is known that 1047 Games has already undergone several rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the latest shift away from dedicated servers will trigger additional reductions, but the pattern suggests the studio is actively restructuring to align costs with revenue. From a broader industry perspective, 1047 Games' move reflects a growing recognition that the live‑service model, while potentially lucrative, carries significant ongoing operational expenses. Dedicated server farms, continuous content pipelines, and robust matchmaking services require steady income streams to remain viable.
When player bases shrink or monetisation fails to meet expectations, studios are forced to reassess their approach. Some opt for a complete shutdown, while others, like 1047 Games, transition to peer‑to‑peer architectures that shift the hosting burden to the community and reduce overhead.
For players, the change means a more hands‑on experience. Peer‑to‑peer hosting typically results in higher latency variability, as match quality depends on the host's connection and geographic location. However, it also grants players greater control over server settings and can foster tighter community‑run ecosystems.
The inclusion of a server browser should help mitigate matchmaking frustrations by allowing users to filter for low‑ping hosts or specific game modes. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both titles to a player‑hosted model as of September 3.
The studio cites unsustainable server costs and a strategic pivot away from live‑service shooters as the primary drivers. While the shift may disappoint fans hoping for continued official support, it also opens the door for community‑driven longevity and signals a new creative direction for the developers moving forward.