1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. The decision marks a strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooter experiences.
Beginning on 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 to X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by the two titles no longer covers the ongoing expenses of maintaining dedicated servers. While the company 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 post expressed genuine affection for the projects, noting, "We have loved working on these games, playing them, and building them with this community, and we wish we could continue supporting them." The transition to P2P will be accompanied by a final content update for Empulse.
Players can expect one last new map, as well as a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio described as the game's "final update." After the September 3 cutoff, dedicated matchmaking services will be shut down, and the games will rely on a server‑browser system that lets users locate and join matches hosted by other players. This approach mirrors the path taken with the original Splitgate, which also shifted to peer‑to‑peer hosting after its dedicated servers were retired last year. That version of Splitgate remains fully playable on PC and console. 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 a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a high‑priced $145 cosmetic bundle. Within weeks of release, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A month later the company pushed the title back into a beta state and initiated a second wave of staff reductions.
The rapid succession of layoffs signalled deeper financial pressures. Empulse, billed as a 6‑vs‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. The launch was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting the difficulty of sustaining a live‑service model without a sufficiently large, paying player base. The studio's founders, Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian, used the recent announcement to signal a broader change in direction.
"After ten years of focusing on live‑service shooters, our focus is changing," they said, adding that future projects may look very different from what fans have come to expect from 1047 Games. The co‑founders reflected on the company's origins, noting that they started 1047 Games a decade ago out of a love for video games.
Over that time, more than 25 million players have experienced their titles, and many of the community members have become lifelong friends. "What has not changed is why we are here: we love making games," they affirmed, emphasizing that the lessons learned from past projects will inform whatever comes next.
While the statement did not explicitly detail the current staffing situation, it is clear that the studio has already endured several layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse's launch. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions, but the pattern suggests that the company is actively reshaping its workforce to align with the new strategic focus.
The shift away from dedicated servers is significant for players. Dedicated servers typically provide more stable connections, lower latency, and a consistent matchmaking experience, especially for competitive shooters.
Peer‑to‑peer hosting, by contrast, places the responsibility for hosting on individual players, which can lead to variable performance depending on the host's internet quality and hardware. However, for smaller communities or titles that cannot justify the ongoing cost of server farms, P2P can keep a game alive beyond the point where official support would otherwise cease. For Empulse, the final map addition and price cut aim to give the community a parting gift and perhaps stimulate a modest resurgence in activity before the transition.
Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, which had already moved to P2P last year, will continue to operate under the same model, with its server browser allowing players to discover hosted matches. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could depart from the live‑service shooter formula entirely. The founders' remarks suggest an openness to exploring new genres, gameplay mechanics, or business models that better align with the studio's resources and market realities. Whether this will involve a return to single‑player experiences, a different type of multiplayer game, or even a non‑gaming venture remains to be seen.
In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, transitioning both titles to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3. The move follows a series of financial challenges, controversial releases, and multiple layoffs that have prompted the studio to reconsider its long‑standing focus on live‑service shooters. While the future direction of the company is still unclear, the founders reaffirm their passion for game development and their commitment to applying hard‑won lessons to whatever projects lie ahead.