Live-service games have become a genre most gamers dislike because of their nature. They tend to invite laziness and unfinished products and expect players to consume and enjoy them. Though not all live-service games are this way, and many find a middle ground and succeed, a lot of them have ended in shutdowns recently. And now 1047 Games, a studio notorious for its live-service shooters, is ending active development for both Spligate: Arena Reloaded and Empulse. In a post on X on August 26th, the studio stated that neither game is generating enough revenue to cover ongoing support costs, so they are halting all active development for both games. They have also stated that they are going to pivot away from live service after 10 years in the genre.
An Update on Empulse, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, and What’s Next for 1047 Games pic.twitter.com/YYxxEwQSQK
— 1047 Games (@1047Games) August 26, 2026
Both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded are live-service shooters. Splitgate: Arena Reloaded is a sequel to the very well-received Splitgate, which was released in 2019. Empulse is 1047 Games’ take on Titanfall. Both games were well received when they were shown off and ultimately released, but over time, amid some controversy, both have suffered significantly. 1047 Games has been very critical of others about monetization and their live-service, so when Splitgate 2 released, it had $145 cosmetic bundles that landed them in hot water and labeled them as hypocritical, and then the CEO came out with a hat that stated “Make FPS Great Again“; the studio’s reputation has sunk. The studio has also faced many layoffs in recent times, and it looks like it has finally caught up to them, as active development for both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded has come to an end, as they aren’t making enough money to support them.
“The reality is that neither game is generating enough revenue to support the ongoing cost of dedicated servers. We have continued covering those costs because we wanted to give both games every opportunity to grow, but we have reached the point where that is no longer sustainable,” stated 1047 Games.
Though both games are no longer being supported, the games will still be available to be played as 1047 Games plans to rework both games so they can be played peer-to-peer. As of September 3rd, both games will switch to peer-to-peer, allowing players to host servers and play, while dedicated servers and matchmaking will be shut down. This is the best possible outcome for these games, as they will still be enjoyed by fans.
“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.”
Though this situation is not without its merits, as 1047 Games is now going to pivot away from live-service shooters after 10 years and will go on to make new things both they and the fans can be proud of. The overall situation is not great and sucks overall, as promising games will be sunsetted in September; lots of players are blaming them due to poor marketing, which holds merit but still sucks overall. There hasn’t been any mention of restructuring after this announcement, as the studio has faced many layoffs recently, so it’s unknown what the future holds for 1047 Games. One can hope they learn from their mistakes and continue to improve and make good games.
