1047 Games is working on a new movement shooter with the working title "Empulse", which is conceived as a spiritual successor to the Titanfall series and is expected to be officially announced later in 2026.
Following the failure of their main project, the development studio behind Splitgate is changing direction, focusing on vertical mobility and heavy combat robots for their new title. Internal pre-alpha material reportedly suggests that the gameplay combines the fast-paced movement patterns of classic arena shooters with the strategic elements of mechanized units. The project is in an early stage of development, so a concrete release date and details about the business model are currently unavailable.
Gameplay focuses on wall-running and controllable mechs.
The footage shown is intended to depict classic team deathmatch games on maps that visually resemble Ubisoft's "XDefiant" and abandon the colorful arcade style of "Splitgate". Players use grappling hooks, wall runs, and acceleration platforms to quickly traverse the areas.
However, the central mechanism is based on the Titanfall-Formula. Giant mechs are scattered across the maps, which can be mounted by infantry. The units shown are equipped with a rotating Gatling gun as their main weapon, a defensive energy shield, and a rocket launcher with a cooldown.
Whether there will be different mech classes with specialized abilities at release, or how exactly the distribution of robots will be regulated during an ongoing game, is unclear based on the early stage of development.
Strategic change of course after the Splitgate debacle
The development of "Empulse" follows a financially challenging period for 1047 Games. The studio struggled to build a consistent player base with Splitgate 2 and its subsequent relaunch as Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. Studio head Ian Proulx confirmed months ago that a smaller team was working on a new project inspired by titles such as "Call of Duty: Black Ops 3" and "Titanfall".
Focusing on this niche is a move into an abandoned market segment. Electronic Arts has been denying the Titanfall community a sequel to Respawn Entertainment's series for years. 1047 Games is now attempting to fill this gap, but carries the risk of an unstable live-service history.
For fans of fast-paced movement shooters, the development of "Empulse" is theoretically good news, as the market for mech-infantry hybrids has been dormant since the end of "Titanfall 2." However, buyers and players should view the project with editorial skepticism. 1047 Games proved with the Splitgate series that they can develop functional shooter mechanics, but repeatedly failed to provide long-term support and maintain a stable server population.
As long as it remains unclear whether Empulse will be released as a free-to-play title or a full-price game, and what the monetization will look like, the project remains a calculated risk for the community despite its gameplay potential.
