PREVEW: 1047’s EMPULSE Will Learn From Splitgate’s Mistakes

It has been a few weeks since 1047 Games unveiled EMPULSE, an all-new first-person shooter with high-octane combat mechanics and fluid verticality. It builds on everything the company did with Splitgate, which didn’t go all that well, and attempts to innovate to the next level, producing a shooter that can stand out and make a name for itself.

During Summer Game Fest’s Play Days event, I got hands-on with EMPULSE, sitting down with 1047 to learn everything about their new shooter. In particular, I was interested in learning how the team could build on the mistakes made with Splitgate, a free-to-play live-service shooter that fell out of favor with the wider community and failed to gain any traction, despite numerous chances.

EMPULSE Doesn’t Want To Be ‘Splitgate 3’

EMPULSE is a totally separate game from Splitgate, a series that debuted in 2019 with an early access launch on PC. It was officially released in 2022, and in 2025, a follow-up title was released, with 1047 shortly bringing about the end of the first game’s operations.

However, Splitgate 2 wasn’t long for this world, and mere weeks after launch, 1047 reverted to a beta state, went silent, and relaunched the game months later, in December 2025, as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded.

That, too, failed to gain much in the way of traction or player retention.

Now, 1047 Games has emerged with EMPULSE, a high-energy first-person shooter that does away with the ‘portal’ gimmick from Splitgate and replaces it with pilotable mech suits, armed to the teeth and toting thick armor plating (and energy shields, etc.)

EMPULSE is a traditional 6v6 arena shooter with typical game modes, a perk system, a decent array of weapons and gadgets, and multiple ways to play. It uses a system called ‘P.A.I.N.T.’, which is made up of bombs that players can use to manipulate the battlefield, altering the flow of play in their favor.

It’s easy to see how this game was inspired by Titanfall, which is something 1047 Games has been transparent about. Aside from the obvious mech element, there are grapple hooks, wall running mechanics, and high-tech weapons and tools for players to lean on.

Having played EMPULSE in Los Angeles alongside the developers, including CEO Ian Proulx, I can say that it’s an interesting shooter. It has good bones, and the movement is extremely fluid and well done. The weapons feel entertaining, the base mechanics are very easy to learn, and the mech system adds a bit of variety to a traditional FPS game.

Do I think it’ll be a roaring success when it launches into early access on June 24th? I’ll be frank – probably not. There’s a lot of bad juju surrounding 1047 Games, thanks to layoffs, failed projects, and an insistence to keep trying to innovate while focusing on reproducing concepts from games we’ve been familiar with for years.

I do hope that the studio will find a community with EMPULSE, and that it’ll at least pull in enough players to stay afloat for some time, as the team is overdue for a win.

When I was talking to the developers at Play Days, I asked them directly how Splitgate’s mistakes have fuelled their desire to succeed with EMPULSE, and they were refreshingly transparent.

This is all about forging a game that is built with the community in mind. Gone are the plans for a free-to-play, heavily monetized shooter, and what remains is a multiplayer title with a budget entry point and no microtransactions in early access. It’ll cost just $19.99 to secure your copy of EMPULSE, and that’s all you realistically ever need to pay.

I also learned that a competitive ecosystem will be fostered, and that things aren’t expected to just grow overnight. The team is critically aware that an organic community must form around EMPULSE for it to succeed, and they’re more than open to feeding the esports-focused side of things, as long as the players want that.

It helps that, earlier this year, 1047 Games hired a veteran of Rocket League, who comes aboard with stacks of competitive gaming experience.

It’s not clear when microtransactions will surface in EMPULSE, as it’s inevitable that they will, but it’s a testament to 1047’s attempt to regain some lost trust in players by launching into early access without evan having an in-game store.

EMPULSE enters early access on June 24th on PC, PS5, and XBOX. Are you interested in securing a copy? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

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