1047 Games has announced that it will cease active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. The decision marks a significant strategic pivot for the studio, which has spent the past decade concentrating on live‑service shooter experiences. Beginning on September 3, both games will abandon their dedicated server infrastructure in favor of a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) networking model, allowing players to continue matchmaking through a built‑in server browser. In a brief statement posted on X earlier today, the developers explained that the revenue generated by the two titles no longer justifies the ongoing expense of maintaining dedicated servers.
While the studio had previously subsidised these costs in an effort to give the games a chance to grow their player bases, it now acknowledges that this approach has 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 post read, underscoring the bittersweet nature of the announcement. The transition to P2P hosting will be accompanied by a final content update for Empulse.
This update includes the release of a brand‑new map and a universal price reduction across all regions, which the studio billed as the game’s “final update.” By moving to a server‑browser system, players will be able to host their own matches and locate others without relying on the now‑defunct matchmaking servers. This mirrors a similar shift that occurred with the original Splitgate last year, when its dedicated servers were shut down and the title was converted to a P2P architecture. That change has allowed Splitgate to remain playable on both PC and console platforms. The background to these moves is rooted in a turbulent period for 1047 Games.
Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became a flashpoint for controversy. The game’s marketing campaign featured a hat emblazoned with the slogan “Make FPS Great Again,” a clear nod to political rhetoric that sparked debate across the gaming community.
In addition, the studio offered a $145 cosmetic bundle that many players deemed excessively priced. Within weeks of launch, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the exact number of affected staff members was not disclosed.
A subsequent month saw the title pushed back into a beta phase, accompanied by a second wave of staff reductions. 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 launch was similarly marred by instability; multiple rounds of layoffs were announced within a few weeks of the game's debut, further eroding confidence in the studio’s long‑term roadmap. Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the broader implications of the shift in a separate statement.
They emphasized that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the company’s focus is evolving. "What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they said, while reaffirming that their core motivation—creating games they love—remains unchanged. The founders reflected on the studio’s history, noting that more than 25 million players have experienced their titles and that many of the relationships forged during that time have turned into lifelong friendships.
Although the announcement does not explicitly discuss the current staffing situation, it arrives on the heels of yet another layoff cycle that took place in July, shortly after Empulse’s launch. It remains uncertain whether the latest strategic realignment will trigger additional reductions or whether the studio will stabilize its workforce as it explores new genres or business models. The move away from dedicated servers is not unprecedented in the industry. Many developers have opted for P2P solutions when player counts dwindle, as the model reduces operational costs and places matchmaking responsibilities on the community.
However, P2P can introduce challenges such as increased latency, reliance on host players with stable connections, and potential exposure to cheating. To mitigate these concerns, 1047 Games plans to implement a robust server‑browser interface that will allow players to filter matches based on ping, region, and host reputation, aiming to preserve a competitive experience despite the loss of centralized matchmaking.
Looking ahead, the studio’s next steps are deliberately vague. The founders hinted at a possible departure from the live‑service shooter formula, suggesting that future projects could explore different gameplay mechanics, narrative‑driven experiences, or even non‑shooter genres. This openness has generated speculation among fans and analysts alike, with some predicting a return to more traditional, single‑player focused titles, while others anticipate a pivot toward emerging trends such as battle‑royale hybrids or cross‑platform multiplayer ecosystems.
In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, shifting both games to peer‑to‑peer hosting as of September 3. The studio acknowledges the financial impracticality of maintaining dedicated servers, offers a final content update for Empulse, and signals a broader strategic reorientation after a decade of live‑service shooter development.
While the exact impact on staffing remains unclear, the company’s leadership emphasizes a continued passion for game creation and hints at a potentially transformative direction for future releases.