1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. The studio explained that, after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooters, it is moving both games to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) architecture as part of a broader strategic pivot away from the costly model of dedicated server maintenance. In a brief post on X earlier today, the company disclosed that neither Empulse nor Splitgate: Arena Reloaded has been generating sufficient revenue to offset the ongoing expenses associated with running dedicated servers.
While the team had previously subsidised those costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it ultimately concluded that this approach had become financially 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 statement read. Effective September 3, both titles will see their dedicated server infrastructure and official matchmaking services shut down. Instead, players will be able to host matches themselves via a built‑in server browser, allowing the communities to keep playing without the studio’s direct involvement in matchmaking.
As a parting gesture, Empulse will receive a final new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio has labeled the "final update" for the game. This shift mirrors the path taken with the original Splitgate, which transitioned to P2P hosting last year after its dedicated servers were retired.
That version of Splitgate remains fully functional today, even on console platforms, demonstrating that a community‑driven hosting model can keep a game alive after official support ends. The background to these decisions is rooted in a turbulent period for the studio. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became the focus of controversy. Among the flashpoints were a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from portions of the player base.
Within a month of launch, 1047 Games announced an undisclosed wave of layoffs, followed shortly thereafter by a decision to roll the title back into a beta state and a second round of staff reductions. The rapid succession of events signalled deeper challenges within the company's development pipeline and financial outlook. Empulse, marketed 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 also marred by instability; several rounds of layoffs occurred within weeks of launch, further eroding confidence in the project's long‑term viability.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the situation in the same X post, emphasizing that the studio's focus is undergoing a fundamental transformation after ten years of building live‑service shooters. "What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they wrote, "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 founders reflected on the company's origins, noting that 1047 Games was founded a decade ago out of a passion for video games.
Over that time, more than 25 million players have experienced their titles, and many of the relationships forged during development have turned into lifelong friendships. Their statement, however, did not provide specific details about the current staffing situation. The studio has already endured multiple layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July—just weeks after Empulse's launch.
It remains uncertain whether the latest announcement will precipitate additional reductions. By moving both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded to peer‑to‑peer hosting, 1047 Games hopes to give the remaining communities a chance to keep playing without the overhead of server costs.
The transition will rely on players themselves to host matches, a model that can be sustainable for smaller, dedicated player bases but may also introduce challenges such as increased latency, host‑advantage concerns, and the need for robust anti‑cheat measures. Nonetheless, the studio appears willing to accept these trade‑offs in order to reallocate resources toward new, as‑yet‑undefined projects. The broader industry context underscores the difficulty of maintaining live‑service shooters, especially when revenue streams from microtransactions, battle passes, or cosmetic sales fail to meet expectations. As development costs rise and player expectations evolve, many studios are reevaluating the viability of dedicated server models.
1047 Games' decision reflects this trend, signalling a willingness to pivot away from a costly infrastructure in favour of more flexible, community‑driven solutions. Looking ahead, the co‑founders hinted that future projects may diverge significantly from the studio's previous focus.
While no concrete details were offered, the emphasis on "changing" suggests that 1047 Games could explore new genres, platforms, or business models that better align with current market dynamics. For now, fans of Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded can look forward to a final map, reduced prices, and the ability to keep playing together via peer‑to‑peer matchmaking, even as the studio prepares for its next chapter.