1047 Games has announced that it will stop 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 in favor of a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking system, allowing players to continue matchmaking through a built‑in server browser.
In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the company explained that neither title was generating sufficient revenue to justify the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated servers. While the studio had previously subsidised those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it now finds that model "no longer sustainable." The developers expressed genuine affection for the projects, noting that they have enjoyed both building and playing the games alongside their communities, and lamented that they cannot continue to provide full support.
From the September 3 transition date, the dedicated‑server back‑ends and the associated matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down. Players will instead rely on a P2P architecture, where individual users host their own matches and locate opponents via a server‑browser interface. This change is intended to keep the games playable despite the loss of official matchmaking. As part of what the studio has dubbed the "final update" for Empulse, the title will receive one last new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, giving fans a modest farewell gesture.
The move mirrors a similar shift that 1047 Games made with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were retired, Splitgate migrated to a peer‑to‑peer model and remains functional on both PC and console platforms. That transition proved viable, but the company’s broader financial pressures appear to have accelerated the decision for its newer projects. Splitgate 2, launched in June 2025, quickly became a lightning‑rod for controversy.
The game featured a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate within the community. Within a month of release, the studio announced a wave of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A further month later, the title was rolled back to a beta state, prompting a second round of staff reductions. These tumultuous events underscored the volatility of the live‑service market and the difficulty of sustaining high‑cost server operations without a robust, ongoing revenue stream.
Empulse, marketed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and positioned as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. The title’s launch was followed by multiple rounds of layoffs within weeks, reflecting similar financial strains.
Despite its ambitious design and the excitement it generated among fans of fast‑paced, parkour‑infused combat, Empulse struggled to attract a large enough player base to offset server costs. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in direction, stating that after ten years of focusing on live‑service shooters, the studio’s priorities are evolving. "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." The announcement did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, though 1047 Games has already undergone several layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s launch.
It remains uncertain whether the September transition will trigger additional reductions. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both titles to a peer‑to‑peer framework to keep them playable without the expense of dedicated servers.
The studio’s leadership frames this as part of a broader reorientation away from the live‑service shooter genre that has defined its output for a decade. While the future direction of 1047 Games remains to be seen, the company emphasizes its enduring passion for game creation and its commitment to applying the lessons learned from its past ventures to whatever comes next.