1047 Games announced that it will cease active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, opting to move the two titles to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model. The decision is part of a broader strategic pivot away from the live‑service shooter genre after a decade of focusing on that space. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the studio explained that neither title was generating sufficient revenue to offset the ongoing expenses associated with dedicated server infrastructure. While the company had continued to subsidize those costs in hopes that the games would eventually achieve a sustainable player base, it now acknowledges that this approach is "no longer viable." "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 emotional connection the developers feel toward their projects and their player communities.
Effective September 3, both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will see their dedicated servers and official matchmaking services shut down. Players will instead rely on a P2P system that uses a server browser, allowing them to host matches themselves and discover other players' sessions.
As a parting gesture, Empulse will receive a final new map and a price reduction across all regions, which the studio described as the "final update" for the game. This transition mirrors the path taken by the original Splitgate earlier last year.
After its dedicated servers were taken offline, the game switched to P2P hosting and remains fully playable on PC and console platforms. The move demonstrated that a P2P model can keep a title alive, albeit with a different set of technical and community expectations. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became a flashpoint for controversy.
The launch featured a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a high‑priced $145 cosmetic bundle, sparking criticism from many quarters. Within a month of release, 1047 Games announced layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff members. The following month, the company placed the game back into a beta state and initiated a second round of workforce reductions, further highlighting the turbulent environment surrounding the title.
Empulse, marketed as a 6v6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its debut was followed by multiple waves of layoffs within a few weeks, suggesting that the studio’s financial pressures extended across both of its flagship projects. Founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the announcement to signal a shift in the company’s creative direction. After ten years of building 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 co‑founders wrote. "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 statement did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, but it is worth noting that 1047 Games has already undergone several rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse launched. It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will trigger additional reductions. The move to peer‑to‑peer hosting carries both technical and community implications.
Dedicated servers typically offer lower latency, more stable connections, and better cheat‑prevention mechanisms, whereas P2P relies on the host player's hardware and internet connection, which can lead to variable performance and increased vulnerability to cheating. However, P2P eliminates the recurring cost of server maintenance, allowing studios to keep older titles accessible without a continuous financial drain. For players, the transition means they will need to be more proactive in finding matches. The new server browser will list active host sessions, and players can join games hosted by friends or strangers.
While this model can foster a more community‑driven experience, it also places greater responsibility on users to manage matchmaking and ensure fair play. Industry analysts see 1047 Games’ pivot as indicative of a larger trend: many mid‑size studios that once pursued the lucrative live‑service model are now reevaluating their strategies in light of rising server costs, player fatigue, and the difficulty of sustaining long‑term revenue streams. The shift may encourage a return to more traditional game‑as‑a‑product approaches, episodic releases, or even experimentation with new genres.
In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both to a peer‑to‑peer hosting framework starting September 3. The studio is offering a final map and price cut for Empulse, while also hinting at a broader strategic realignment away from live‑service shooters. The future direction of the company remains open, but the founders emphasize that their core passion for creating games endures, even as the form those games take may evolve dramatically.