1047 Games has announced that it will stop active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both projects to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking model as of September 3. This decision marks a clear pivot for the studio after a decade of concentrating on live‑service shooter experiences. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by either game no longer covers the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the company had continued to subsidize those costs in an effort to give the titles a chance to grow their player bases, it ultimately concluded that the model had become "no longer sustainable." "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 studio’s affection for its fans despite the financial realities.
Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down. Players will instead rely on a P2P system complemented by a server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and discover others’ sessions.
To give Empulse a proper send‑off, the final update will introduce one last new map and apply a price reduction across all regions. This move mirrors the approach taken with the original Splitgate, which also transitioned to P2P hosting after its dedicated servers were retired last year.
That version remains fully playable today, including on console platforms, demonstrating that a community can continue to enjoy a game even after official server support ends. 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 a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate among players.
Within a month of the launch, 1047 Games announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a further reduction in staff followed a month later when the title was rolled back to a beta state. Empulse, positioned as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its debut was quickly followed by several rounds of workforce cuts, reflecting the broader financial strain the company was experiencing. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian used the recent announcement to signal a strategic shift.
"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," they said. The founders highlighted that more than 25 million players have engaged with their titles over the past decade, and many of those connections have turned into lasting friendships.
The statement did not provide specific details about current staffing levels, although the company 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 pivot will lead to additional reductions or a reallocation of resources toward new, non‑shooter projects. Industry observers note that the shift away from dedicated server infrastructure is part of a larger trend among mid‑size developers who find the cost of operating high‑performance, always‑online back‑ends increasingly prohibitive, especially when player counts plateau or decline.
By moving to a P2P model, 1047 Games can keep the games accessible without bearing the heavy operational expenses of cloud servers, though this approach can introduce challenges such as increased latency, reliance on host stability, and potential security concerns. For the community, the transition means that players will need to adapt to a new way of finding matches. The server browser will list active host sessions, and players can create their own lobbies, set custom rules, and invite friends directly.
While this gives more control to individual users, it also places the onus on them to ensure a stable connection and fair play environment. Empulse’s final update, featuring the new map and price cut, aims to provide a satisfying closure for its fans.
The map adds fresh terrain and strategic options, encouraging players to explore the game’s core mechanics one last time before the official servers are retired. The price reduction is intended to make the title more attractive to new players who may discover it through word of mouth or community streams.
Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could diverge significantly from the shooter genre. While no concrete details have been released, the founders’ emphasis on “changing focus” suggests they may explore different gameplay styles, platforms, or business models that better align with the evolving market and their own creative aspirations. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, shifting both to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3.
The move reflects financial pressures, a broader industry shift away from costly dedicated servers, and a strategic decision to reorient the studio’s creative direction after ten years of live‑service shooter development. Existing players can still enjoy the games via the new P2P system, with Empulse receiving a final map and a universal price discount, while the future of the studio points toward new, potentially unexpected, types of games.