1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, marking a decisive move away from the live‑service shooter model that has defined the studio for a decade. Effective September 3, the two titles will abandon their dedicated server infrastructure and adopt a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) architecture, allowing players to host matches themselves through a built‑in server browser.
The decision comes after the company concluded that the revenue generated by the games no longer justifies the ongoing expense of maintaining dedicated servers. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the studio explained that while it had continued to fund server costs in the hope that the titles would eventually achieve a sustainable player base, the financial reality made this approach untenable. "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 shift. From the September 3 cutoff date, matchmaking and dedicated server services for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be disabled.
Players will instead rely on a P2P system, which will still enable matchmaking via a server browser, ensuring that the communities can continue to find opponents and enjoy the core gameplay. As a parting gesture, Empulse will receive a final new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio labeled the "final update" for the title.
This transition mirrors a similar move made with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were shut down, the game migrated to a peer‑to‑peer model and remains fully playable on PC and console platforms.
The precedent suggests that 1047 Games aims to keep the games accessible even without the financial overhead of centralized server farms. The background to these changes is rooted in a tumultuous period for the studio. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 amid considerable controversy, including the release of a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from the community. Within weeks of launch, the company announced a wave of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed, and shortly thereafter placed the game back into a beta state, prompting a second round of staff reductions.
Empulse, positioned as a 6v6 movement‑focused shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its launch was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, reflecting the broader financial strain the studio was experiencing.
These staffing cuts have been a recurring theme, with the most recent round occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse's debut. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the strategic pivot in the same announcement, noting that after ten years of concentrating on live‑service shooters, the studio's focus is evolving. "What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they said, but emphasized that the underlying passion for game development remains unchanged.
The founders reflected on the company's journey, noting that more than 25 million players have experienced their games and that many of the relationships forged along the way have become lifelong friendships. The statement did not provide specifics about future staffing levels, leaving open the question of whether additional layoffs will follow. However, the pattern of repeated reductions suggests that the company may continue to streamline its operations as it recalibrates its business model. From a broader industry perspective, 1047 Games' decision highlights the challenges faced by mid‑size developers attempting to sustain live‑service models without the massive player bases that larger publishers enjoy.
Dedicated server costs can be substantial, and when revenue streams falter, the financial burden can quickly outweigh the benefits of offering a seamless online experience. By shifting to peer‑to‑peer hosting, the studio reduces overhead while still delivering a functional multiplayer environment, albeit one that may be more dependent on individual player connections and host stability.
For the existing communities of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the transition means that they will need to adapt to a new matchmaking paradigm. While the server browser will facilitate match discovery, players may experience increased latency or host‑related performance issues, especially in regions with fewer active hosts. Nonetheless, the final map addition and price cut for Empulse aim to provide a satisfying conclusion to the game's lifecycle and reward dedicated fans.
Looking ahead, the founders hinted that the studio's next project could diverge significantly from the shooter genre that has defined its brand. The emphasis on "changing" focus suggests an openness to exploring new gameplay mechanics, platforms, or even business models that are less reliant on continuous online service.
This could involve single‑player experiences, narrative‑driven titles, or perhaps a hybrid approach that blends offline content with optional online features. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving both games to a peer‑to‑peer framework as of September 3.
The shift reflects financial realities, a history of layoffs, and a strategic reorientation away from live‑service shooters after a decade of operation. While the immediate impact on players will be a change in how matches are hosted, the longer‑term implication is a potential new direction for the studio, one that may surprise fans but remains anchored in the founders' enduring love for creating games.