Spectre Divide, developed by Mountaintop Studios, is set to shut down following a disappointing performance that failed to meet the company's expectations and generate sufficient revenue. Dive deeper into the reasons behind this closure and the statements from Mountaintop Studios' CEO.
Spectre Divide Will Go Offline in 30 Days
Season 1 and Console Launch Did Not Meet Expectations
Tactical FPS Spectre Divide is closing its doors just six months post-launch, as both its Season 1 and console release fell short of company goals. On March 13, the game's official Twitter (X) account shared the somber news with its fanbase.
Mountaintop Studios CEO Nate Mitchell reflected on the situation, stating, "It’s been two weeks since we launched Spectre Divide Season 1: Flashpoint. We’re incredibly grateful for the positivity and support that you’ve shown over that short time. Unfortunately, the Season 1 launch hasn’t achieved the level of success we needed to sustain the game and keep Mountaintop afloat."
Despite an optimistic start with over 400,000 players and a peak of around 10,000 concurrent players across platforms within the first week, the game struggled to maintain active players and revenue.
Reports from The Verge in December 2024 highlighted Mountaintop Studios' struggles, noting that the console launch and Season 1 were critical for the game's survival. Game Director Lee Horn mentioned that despite robust marketing efforts, server issues at launch significantly hampered momentum. Mitchell added, "If they aren’t into season one, the way we hope they are, we’ll have to take a hard look at if we should keep going on as we are, or if players are telling us this isn’t what we want."
Spectre Divide is scheduled to go offline within 30 days, with plans to disable new purchases and refund money spent since the Season 1 relaunch. Further details on this process are expected soon.
Spectre Divide Shutting Down Despite Raising $30 Million Last Year
The announcement came as a surprise to many, especially considering that Mountaintop Studios had secured $30 million in funding the previous year. The company's LinkedIn post from 2024 detailed the funding from top investors like Anthos Capital, RX3 Growth Partners, A16Z GAMES, and other angel investors.
Despite the substantial investment, Mitchell explained, "We pursued every avenue to keep going, including finding a publisher, additional investment, and / or an acquisition. In the end, we weren’t able to make it work. The industry is in a tough spot right now."
Mitchell further shared the studio's vision, "We wanted to deliver something innovative and original in a crowded genre that would bring friends together around unforgettable moments. We shook up the format, created a fresh art style and universe, and partnered with some of our heroes. All of us knew from the beginning that the odds were against us, but that’s what we signed up for. It was never a surefire bet. We did it anyway."
Spectre Divide joins the ranks of other live-service games like Multiversus, Babylon’s Fall, Concord, and cancelled titles such as The Last of Us Online and the reported God of War live service game, which have also struggled to thrive in the competitive live-service market.
Mountaintop Studios Closing Within The Week
In a final update, Mitchell announced that Mountaintop Studios would cease operations by the end of the week. He noted, "Since the PC launch, we stretched our remaining capital as far as we could, but at this point, we’re out of funding to support the game. This means Mountaintop will be closing its doors at the end of this week."
