1047 Games has 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 marks a significant strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooter experiences. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the company explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure.
While the studio had previously subsidized these costs in an effort to give the titles a chance to grow their player bases, it now acknowledges that continuing to do so is "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 the associated matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down.
Players will still be able to find and host matches, but this will be facilitated through a server‑browser interface that relies on P2P connections rather than centrally hosted servers. As part of the final update for Empulse, the studio will also release one last new map and apply a price reduction across all regions. This move mirrors a similar transition that the original Splitgate underwent last year. After its dedicated servers were decommissioned, Splitgate shifted to P2P hosting and remains fully playable on PC and console platforms.
The precedent suggests that 1047 Games aims to keep the games accessible even as it withdraws direct support. 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 polarising "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from the community. Within weeks of release, 1047 Games announced layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff members.
A month later, the company placed the title back into beta and initiated a second round of workforce reductions. Empulse, positioned as a 6v6 movement‑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, underscoring the financial strain the studio was experiencing across its live‑service portfolio. Founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the broader strategic shift in the same statement, noting that after ten years centered 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 our core motivation remains unchanged: we love making games." The co‑founders reflected on the company's origins, noting that "we started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games. Since then, more than 25 million people have played our titles, and many of the people we've met along the way have become lifelong friends." They emphasized that the lessons learned over the past decade will inform future projects, even if those projects diverge from the live‑service shooter model that defined the studio's identity. While the announcement did not explicitly detail the current staffing situation, it follows a pattern of layoffs that began earlier in the year.
The most recent reduction occurred in July, shortly after Empulse’s early‑access debut. It remains uncertain whether the September transition will trigger additional workforce cuts, but the pattern suggests that the studio is actively restructuring to align its resources with its new strategic direction. Industry observers see this as part of a broader trend where developers reassess the viability of live‑service models, especially for mid‑tier shooters that struggle to maintain a sustainable player base and revenue stream. Maintaining dedicated servers is a costly endeavor, and when a game's monetization cannot keep pace, many studios opt for P2P solutions or complete shutdowns.
For players of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the shift to peer‑to‑peer hosting means that matchmaking will be less centralized, potentially leading to longer wait times or increased reliance on community‑hosted servers. However, it also offers the advantage of keeping the games alive without the need for costly server upkeep.
The final map update for Empulse and the price drop are intended as a goodwill gesture, giving the community a chance to experience one last piece of content before the infrastructure change. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could explore new genres or delivery models.
Whether that involves a return to single‑player experiences, a different type of multiplayer framework, or even non‑gaming media remains to be seen. The studio’s emphasis on learning from past projects suggests a willingness to experiment and adapt. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on its two flagship shooters, transitioning both to peer‑to‑peer hosting on September 3, and offering a final content update for Empulse. The move reflects a larger strategic realignment away from the live‑service shooter paradigm that defined the studio for a decade.
While the future of the company’s staffing remains unclear, the founders reaffirm their passion for game creation and hint at a potentially very different direction for upcoming projects.