Spectre Divide and its developer, Mountaintop Studios, have announced their shutdown due to the game failing to meet the company's expectations and not generating sufficient income. Here's a deeper look into the CEO's statement and the reasons behind the closure.
Spectre Divide Will Go Offline in 30 Days
Season 1 and Console Launch Did Not Meet Expectations
Tactical FPS Spectre Divide is set to shut down just six months after its launch, as both its first season and console release fell short of the company's goals. On March 13, Spectre Divide's official Twitter (X) account shared a heartfelt message with their fans about the game's and the company's current predicament.
Mountaintop Studios' CEO, Nate Mitchell, reflected on the situation, stating, "It’s been two weeks since we launched Spectre Divide Season 1: Flashpoint." He expressed gratitude, saying, "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."
Initially, the company saw promising numbers, with over 400,000 players in the first week and a peak concurrent player count of around 10,000 across all platforms. However, the sustained player engagement and revenue needed to keep the game and studio running did not materialize.
Reports from The Verge in December 2024 highlighted Mountaintop Studios' financial struggles, noting that the console launch and Season 1 were critical for the game's survival. Spectre Divide's Game Director, Lee Horn, mentioned that despite robust marketing efforts, server issues at launch severely hampered the game's 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 expected to go offline within 30 days, with the company planning to disable new purchases and refund money spent by players since the Season 1 relaunch. More details on this process will be announced soon.
Spectre Divide Shutting Down Despite Raising $30 Million Last Year
The news of Mountaintop Studios' closure has come as a surprise to many, especially after the company successfully raised $30 million in funding last year. In 2024, Mountaintop Studios announced on LinkedIn that the funding came from top-tier investors, including Anthos Capital, RX3 Growth Partners, A16Z GAMES, and other angel investors.
Despite this significant financial backing, the game and the company were unable to thrive. 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."
He further elaborated on their vision, saying, "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 that have struggled, such as Multiversus, Babylon’s Fall, Concord, and cancelled projects like The Last of Us Online and the reported God of War live service game.
Mountaintop Studios Closing Within The Week
Mitchell announced that Mountaintop Studios will close its doors by the end of the week, as the company has exhausted its remaining capital. He stated, "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."
