1047 Games has 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 clear 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 expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the studio had continued to subsidise those costs in the hope that the titles might eventually become self‑sustaining, it concluded that the model had become "no longer sustainable" and that a transition was inevitable.
"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 the associated matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be decommissioned.
Players will instead rely on a P2P architecture, complemented by a server browser that allows them to locate and host matches themselves. To give the community a proper farewell, Empulse will receive one final map addition and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio has billed as the game's "final update." This is not the first time 1047 Games has shifted a title to peer‑to‑peer.
The original Splitgate made the same transition last year after its dedicated servers were shut down, and the game remains fully playable on PC and consoles under the new model. The background to these changes is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio.
Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid a wave of controversy, most notably the inclusion of a "Make FPS Great Again" hat—a clear nod to political branding—and a high‑priced cosmetic bundle priced at $145. Within weeks of release, the company announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, followed by another wave a month later when the title was rolled back to beta status. Those staffing cuts were accompanied by public criticism and a noticeable dip in player engagement. Empulse, positioned as a 6‑versus‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026.
Its launch was similarly marred by rapid workforce reductions; several rounds of layoffs occurred within weeks of the game's debut, indicating that the studio was struggling to align development costs with the game's financial performance. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the broader strategic shift in their statement, noting that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the company is ready to explore new directions. "What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they said, "but what has not changed is why we are here: we love making games." The founders reflected on the company's origins, recalling that 1047 Games was founded a decade ago out of a shared passion for video games. Over that time, more than 25 million players have engaged with their titles, and many of those interactions have blossomed into lasting friendships.
The leadership emphasized that the lessons learned from a decade of live‑service development will inform future projects, even if those projects diverge from the shooter genre. While the public statement did not detail the current staffing situation, it is worth noting that the studio has already undergone multiple layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse's early‑access launch.
It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions or if the company will stabilize its workforce as it re‑evaluates its product roadmap. The transition to peer‑to‑peer hosting does have practical implications for the player base. Dedicated servers typically provide more stable latency, anti‑cheat enforcement, and consistent matchmaking quality.
By moving to a P2P model, the burden of hosting shifts to individual players, which can lead to variable performance depending on host connections and geographic location. However, the inclusion of a server browser aims to mitigate these challenges by giving players the tools to find reliable hosts and create custom match environments.
For fans of Empulse, the final map addition serves as a parting gift, while the price cut makes the game more accessible to newcomers who may have been hesitant due to its cost. Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, meanwhile, will continue to be playable under the new system, preserving the community's ability to compete and cooperate despite the loss of centralized matchmaking. Looking ahead, the studio's pivot away from live‑service shooters could open the door to a broader range of genres or experimental gameplay concepts.
The co‑founders hinted at a willingness to apply the technical expertise and community‑building experience they have amassed over the past decade to new types of projects. Whether that means a return to narrative‑driven experiences, cooperative PvE titles, or entirely novel multiplayer frameworks remains to be seen. In summary, 1047 Games is ending active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, shifting both games to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3. The move follows a period of financial strain, controversy, and multiple layoffs, and signals a strategic reorientation for the studio after ten years of focusing on live‑service shooters.
While the immediate impact will be felt by the existing player communities, the long‑term implications could involve a fresh creative direction for the company, potentially delivering games that differ markedly from its current portfolio.