1047 Games has announced that it will cease 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 company explained that neither Empulse nor Splitgate: Arena Reloaded has been able to generate sufficient revenue to offset the ongoing expenses associated with maintaining dedicated server infrastructure. While the studio had continued to subsidize those costs in hopes that the games might eventually become self‑sustaining, 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 developers wrote, underscoring the emotional investment they have had in both projects.
Effective September 3, the dedicated servers and the official matchmaking services for both titles will be deactivated. Players will instead rely on a P2P system that includes a built‑in server browser, allowing them to host matches themselves and locate other players looking for games. As part of what the studio has dubbed the "final update" for Empulse, the game will receive one last new map and a price reduction across all regions, giving the community a modest farewell gesture. The transition to peer‑to‑peer is not unprecedented for 1047 Games.
The original Splitgate made the same shift last year after its dedicated servers were shut down, and the title remains fully playable on PC and console under the new model. Splitgate 2, released in June 2025, quickly became a lightning rod for controversy. The launch featured a politically charged "Make FPS Great Again" hat and a $145 cosmetic bundle that sparked heated debate across the gaming community.
Within a month of release, the studio announced a wave of layoffs, the size of which was not disclosed. A further month later, the game was rolled back to a beta state and a second round of staff reductions was announced, signaling deep operational challenges. Empulse, marketed as a 6‑vs‑6 movement‑focused shooter and often described as a spiritual successor to Titanfall, entered early access in June 2026. Its debut was followed by several rounds of layoffs within weeks, reflecting similar financial pressures.
Co‑founders Ian Proulx and Nicholas Bagamian said the company’s strategic direction is changing after ten years built around live‑service shooters. "What we build next may look very different from what people expect from 1047 Games," they noted, while reaffirming that the core motivation—making games they love—remains unchanged.
"Since we started ten years ago, more than 25 million people have played our games, and many of the friendships formed along the way have become lifelong bonds," the founders added. The announcement did not provide specifics about the current staffing levels, but the studio has already endured multiple layoff cycles, the most recent occurring in July, just weeks after Empulse’s early‑access launch.
It remains uncertain whether the latest statement will be accompanied by further reductions. Industry observers interpret the move as a broader trend in the shooter market, where the high cost of operating dedicated server farms is increasingly at odds with the revenue potential of niche multiplayer titles. By shifting to a P2P architecture, developers can dramatically reduce operating expenses, but they also relinquish some control over matchmaking quality, latency, and cheat prevention.
For players, the change means a more hands‑on approach to hosting games, potentially leading to a more fragmented community experience. Looking ahead, 1047 Games has hinted that its next project could diverge significantly from its established shooter pedigree. While no concrete details have been released, the studio’s leadership emphasized that the lessons learned over the past decade will inform future endeavors, whatever form they may take. Whether the company will explore new genres, adopt alternative monetisation models, or return to smaller‑scale projects remains to be seen.
In summary, the cessation of active development on Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, coupled with the shift to peer‑to‑peer hosting, signals a strategic retreat from the live‑service shooter model that defined 1047 Games for ten years. The studio’s future direction is still unclear, but its founders assure the community that their passion for game creation endures, even as the type of games they produce may evolve dramatically.