1047 Games announced that it will stop active development on its two flagship titles, Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and will move both games to a peer‑to‑peer (P2P) hosting model. The decision marks a clear pivot for the studio after a decade of focusing on live‑service shooter experiences.
In a brief statement posted to X earlier today, the developers explained that neither Empulse nor Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is generating sufficient revenue to justify the ongoing expense of dedicated server infrastructure. While the company had continued to subsidise those costs in the hope that the games would eventually achieve a sustainable player base, it now acknowledges that this approach 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 studio wrote.
"Unfortunately, the financial realities force us to change course." Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and official matchmaking services for both titles 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 locate others who are doing the same.
As part of what the studio calls the "final update" for Empulse, the game will receive one last new map and a universal price reduction across all regions. This transition mirrors a similar move the company made with the original Splitgate.
After its dedicated servers were decommissioned last year, Splitgate shifted to P2P hosting and remains fully playable today, including on 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, most notably the inclusion of a "Make FPS Great Again" hat—a clear reference to the MAGA slogan—and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked backlash from the community. Within weeks of the launch, 1047 Games announced a round of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed.
A further month later, the company reverted the title to a beta state and initiated 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. The title’s rollout was quickly followed by multiple rounds of layoffs, underscoring the financial strain the studio was experiencing. Founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian addressed the broader strategic shift in their statement.
They emphasized that after ten years of building live‑service shooters, the studio’s focus is evolving and that future projects may look very different from what fans have come to expect from 1047 Games. "We started 1047 Games ten years ago because we love video games," the co‑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 provide specifics about the current staffing situation, though the company has already undergone several layoff rounds, the most recent occurring in July, shortly after Empulse’s launch.
It remains uncertain whether the latest shift to P2P hosting will trigger additional reductions. From a technical perspective, moving to peer‑to‑peer hosting reduces operational costs dramatically because the studio no longer needs to maintain costly data centers for matchmaking and server upkeep.
However, P2P models can introduce challenges such as increased latency, potential for host‑advantage cheating, and a reliance on the stability of individual players' internet connections. To mitigate these issues, 1047 Games plans to implement a server browser that lets users select hosts with lower ping and better performance metrics. For the community, the change means that while the official matchmaking will disappear, the games will remain accessible.
Players who enjoy the fast‑paced, high‑mobility combat of Empulse or the portal‑based arena combat of Splitgate can still organize matches with friends or join public lobbies hosted by other players. The final map addition for Empulse and the price cut are intended as a goodwill gesture to encourage continued play during the transition period.
Industry observers see this move as part of a broader trend where mid‑size studios reassess the viability of live‑service models, especially when revenue does not meet the high overhead of server maintenance. The shift may also reflect a growing appetite for more traditional, player‑hosted experiences that give developers flexibility and reduce financial risk.
Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next venture could diverge significantly from the shooter genre. While no concrete details have been released, the founders' remarks suggest a willingness to explore new gameplay mechanics, possibly even venturing into different genres or platforms. The studio’s legacy of innovative movement systems and community‑driven design may still inform its future projects, even if the outward appearance of those games changes. In summary, 1047 Games is winding down active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, transitioning both titles to a peer‑to‑peer architecture as of September 3.
The decision stems from insufficient revenue to sustain dedicated servers, and it aligns with a strategic pivot away from live‑service shooters after a decade of operation. While the community will lose official matchmaking, the games will remain playable through player‑hosted sessions, and the studio promises a final content update for Empulse along with a universal price reduction.
The founders emphasize that, despite the shift, their core passion for game creation endures, and they look forward to applying the lessons learned to whatever new direction they pursue next.