1047 Games, the studio behind the Spligate series, has reportedly laid off staff weeks after the release of its latest shooter, Empulse.

Over the past week, multiple team members wrote farewell messages via LinkedIn, saying that they're now looking for work. "As of the end of this week, it will be my last day at 1047 Games due to the third wave of studio layoffs," wrote the associate art director, who joined the staff last year.

"Throughout the years in this industry, my main goal has always been to work with inspiring artists and art directors, which was a significant reason why I joined," the developer continues. "Unfortunately, that didn’t last as long as I hoped, but I’m grateful for the experience and the wonderful people I had the chance to work with."

Other staff members include the community specialist and director of QA. "A bunch of us, 'the crew' aboard the 1047 train, are getting off on this post-Empulse station," the latter wrote. "It has been an interesting ride, bumpy at times, narrowly avoiding derailment and with everyone working hard to keep that 1047 train going. To everyone de-boarding I wish to find a bit of time to rest, to quickly find your footing, and to board another train as soon as you are ready."

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Almost a year ago on the dot, 1047 laid off staff and shut down the original Splitgate in an effort to revamp its sequel after launching the game "too early," according to CEO Ian Proulx.

"We had ambitious goals with Splitgate 2, and in our excitement to share it with you, we bit off more than we could chew," Proulx said in a statement co-written with CTO Nicholas Bagamian at the time. That was the second time the company laid off developers in 2025. In June, a month prior, it laid off a "small group" of employees.

The first Splitgate was quite the mark, surpassing 13 million downloads when it was still in open beta. In 2021, the success led to 1047 securing over $100 million in funding via an investment that valued the studio at $1.5 billion. Speaking to Game Developer in 2024, the CEO said he hoped that Splitgate 2 would still be thriving in a decade.

"I want [Splitgate 2] to be a game that people are playing in 10 years from now, on a much larger scale of course," Proulx said at the time. "I think we had 200,000 concurrent players in Splitgate at our peak. Success to me would be more than that—and more than that in years from now."

Game Developer has contacted 1047 Games for more information on the matter.

About the Author

Diego Argüello

Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com

Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.