Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded are officially over as 1047 Games says it’s probably done making arena shooters
1047 Games has announced it is shutting down both Empulse and Splitgate: Arena Reloaded due to insufficient revenue to cover operating costs. The studio will continue operating but has stated that its next project “may look very different from what people expect,” signaling a departure from arena shooters.
The company’s trajectory represents a dramatic reversal of fortune. The original Splitgate: Arena Warfare launched in 2019 to significant success, becoming unexpectedly popular during its crossplay beta phase. This popularity created infrastructure challenges, forcing 1047 Games to upgrade its server systems and delay the final release. The initial success was substantial enough that co-founder and CEO Ian Proulx publicly considered the studio’s trajectory to rival major publishers like Riot Games.
However, the studio’s fortunes declined with subsequent releases. Splitgate 2 failed to maintain the original’s momentum, and its successor Empulse, which launched just two months before this shutdown announcement, proved unable to generate sufficient revenue to sustain development costs.
This closure reflects the broader challenges facing live-service games in the competitive shooter market. Despite initial buzz and successful launches, maintaining player engagement and monetizing arena shooters has proven difficult for most developers outside of established franchises like Valorant, Counter-Strike, and Overwatch. The company’s pivot away from the genre underscores how quickly momentum can shift in live-service gaming.