1047 Games announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both experiences to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking model as of September 3. The decision marks a significant strategic pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooter franchises. In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by the two games no longer covers the expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the company had continued to subsidise 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 studio wrote, underscoring the emotional attachment the team feels toward its fanbase.
Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and the associated matchmaking services for Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will be shut down. Players will instead rely on a P2P system that uses a server‑browser interface, allowing anyone to host a match and others to join. This approach ensures that the games remain playable even without the backing of centralized servers.
As part of the final update for Empulse, the developers promised one last new map and a price reduction across all regions, signaling a modest farewell gesture. The transition mirrors what 1047 Games did with the original Splitgate last year. After its dedicated servers were taken offline, the title shifted to a P2P framework and continues to be accessible on PC and console platforms.
Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became a lightning‑rod for controversy. The launch featured a "Make FPS Great Again" hat reminiscent of political slogans and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate within the community. Within a month of release, the studio announced an undisclosed round of layoffs, and a further month later it pushed the game back into a beta phase and initiated a second wave of staff reductions.
Empulse, billed as a 6‑v‑6 movement‑focused shooter and positioned as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its debut was followed by several rounds of layoffs within weeks, reflecting the broader financial pressures the studio faces. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the shift in a public statement, noting that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the company’s focus is now "changing".
They hinted that future projects may look very different from the titles that have defined 1047 Games to date. "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 announcement did not include specific details about the current staffing situation, although the studio has already undergone multiple rounds of layoffs, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse launched. It remains uncertain whether the latest shift to P2P hosting will be accompanied by additional personnel cuts. Industry analysts view the move as part of a broader trend where smaller studios abandon the costly live‑service model in favor of more sustainable, lower‑maintenance delivery methods.
Maintaining dedicated servers for multiplayer shooters can be prohibitively expensive, especially when player counts dwindle or fail to meet projected thresholds. By switching to P2P, 1047 Games reduces ongoing operational costs and transfers the hosting responsibility to the community, albeit at the potential expense of matchmaking quality and latency consistency.
Fans of both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded have expressed mixed reactions. Some appreciate the studio’s transparency and the effort to keep the games alive, while others worry that the P2P model may introduce connection issues and make it harder for new players to find matches. The promised final map for Empulse and the price drop are seen as goodwill gestures, but they do little to offset concerns about long‑term support and content updates. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could diverge sharply from the shooter genre, though no concrete details have been released.
The co‑founders emphasized that the studio’s core passion—creating enjoyable gaming experiences—remains unchanged, even as they explore new directions. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, transitioning both titles to peer‑to‑peer hosting to cut costs, while offering a final map and price reduction for Empulse. The move reflects a broader strategic realignment away from the high‑maintenance live‑service shooter model that defined the studio for a decade, and it sets the stage for an uncertain but potentially innovative next chapter for the company.