Empulse is 1047 Games' Titanfall-inspired comeback — but the studio has a lot to prove
1047 Games — the studio behind two bruising Splitgate launches — has officially announced Empulse, a 6v6 movement shooter headed to Early Access in 2026. The game lands on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, though no specific launch month or pricing has been confirmed. After mass layoffs and a player exodus from Splitgate 2, this is the studio's clearest shot at rebuilding its reputation.
The look
Empulse is set in Freehold, a post-apocalyptic city built for vertical combat. Players wall-run, use grapple hooks to cross large gaps, and fight in six-versus-six matches across the city's elevated districts. CEO Ian Proulx has cited Titanfall 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 as the primary inspirations — two games known for fast, fluid movement that rewards practice.
We wanted to share EMPULSE on our own terms, but leaks happen. We knew the risk and took it anyway, because getting real feedback early matters more to us than a perfect reveal.
— 1047 Games (@1047Games) May 20, 2026
We're a team that loves movement shooters, and we’re putting that passion into EMPULSE, a brand new… https://t.co/a45Z7K1R0C
Mechs feature prominently, but they work differently from Titanfall. Instead of earning a personal mech by racking up kills, players race to claim mechs that spawn on the map at set intervals — closer in spirit to grabbing a rocket launcher in Halo than to Respawn's orbital drop fantasy. It's a subtler tactical contest, and one that Proulx says suits Empulse's competitive framing.
No trailer has been released yet. The screenshots above are the studio's first official look at the game.
The credibility gap
Trust is the real obstacle here. Splitgate 2 launched in June 2025 with $70 cosmetics and a feature set players found thin — the game shed most of its audience within weeks, per PC Gamer. A December 2025 rebrand to Arena Reloaded failed to recover the numbers, and concurrent Steam players have hovered below 1,000 since early 2026. The studio cut hundreds of staff through the crisis.
Proulx has been candid about the situation. According to Game Rant, he's framing Empulse around community co-design and "studio pride" rather than chasing blockbuster sales targets — a notable shift in tone from the Splitgate 2 rollout.
What's still missing
Empulse has no confirmed Early Access date within 2026, no disclosed monetization strategy, and no details on cross-play or ranked modes. Those gaps matter given the studio's recent history with expensive cosmetics. The Steam page is live, but regional pricing for the US and UK has not been announced. With Valorant and Overwatch 2 firmly entrenched in the 6v6 space, Empulse will need more than movement mechanics to pull players in — it needs a clean launch.
