1047 Games has announced that it will stop active development on both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, moving the two titles to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model as of September 3. The decision marks a significant pivot for the studio, which has spent the past decade concentrating on live‑service shooter experiences.
In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the ongoing expenses of maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the studio initially continued to fund those servers in the hope that the player bases would grow, 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.
"Unfortunately, the financial realities force us to change course." 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 that utilizes a server browser, allowing individuals to host their own matches and find others looking to play.
As part of what the studio calls the "final update" for Empulse, the game will receive one last new map and a price reduction across all regions. This is not the first time 1047 Games has moved a title to peer‑to‑peer hosting.
The original Splitgate made the same transition last year after its dedicated servers were retired, and the game remains fully functional on PC and console platforms. 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, including the release of a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate within the community.
Within a month of launch, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A further month later, the company pushed the title back into beta and announced a second wave of staff reductions.
Empulse, billed as a 6‑v‑6 movement shooter and positioned as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. The title's debut was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, indicating that the studio was already grappling with staffing and financial pressures even before the recent announcement.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in a separate statement, noting that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the studio's focus is now "changing." They emphasized that whatever the company creates next may look very different from past projects, but the underlying passion for game development remains unchanged. "We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the founders 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 public statement did not provide specifics about current staffing levels, though it is known that 1047 Games has already undergone several rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse's early‑access launch.
It remains uncertain whether the latest shift away from dedicated server support will trigger additional reductions. Industry observers see this move as part of a broader trend where mid‑size studios, after experimenting with live‑service models, reassess their strategies in response to rising server costs and shifting player expectations.
By switching to peer‑to‑peer hosting, 1047 Games reduces its operational overhead, allowing it to allocate resources toward new development directions or to simply sustain the existing player communities without the burden of costly server maintenance. For players, the transition means that matchmaking will no longer be handled by the studio's servers. Instead, users will need to rely on the in‑game server browser to locate matches hosted by other players. While this can introduce variability in connection quality and may require a more active role in finding suitable games, it also offers greater flexibility, as players can create private lobbies, set custom rules, and potentially enjoy a more community‑driven experience.
The final Empulse update, featuring a new map and a universal price cut, appears to be an effort to give the community a parting gift and encourage continued play under the new hosting model. Similarly, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will retain its core gameplay mechanics, but without the official matchmaking infrastructure that many players have become accustomed to.
Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next project could diverge significantly from the fast‑paced, competitive shooter genre that defined its brand for a decade. Whether the studio will explore new IPs, return to single‑player experiences, or experiment with hybrid models remains to be seen. What is clear from the founders' remarks is that the company's foundational love for game creation endures, even as it navigates the financial and operational challenges that have prompted this strategic pivot.