Spectre Divide and its studio are shutting down after just six months: 'The industry is in a tough spot right now'

Free-to-play FPS Spectre Divide will close within 30 days, and developers Mountaintop Studios will be disbanded by the end of the week. The news comes only six months after the promising 3v3 shooter launched on Steam, and just a fortnight after its first season launched alongside a new PlayStation version.

In a letter signed by Mountaintop Studios CEO Nate Mitchell and the team, low uptake since the launch of that first season is one of the reasons for the closure. "Unfortunately, the Season 1 launch hasn't achieved the level of success we needed to sustain the game and keep Mountaintop afloat," the letter reads.

Spectre Divide closure letter posted on X — (Image credit: Mountaintop Studios)

Spectre Divide was a novel take on the tactical shooter in the Counter-Strike and Valorant mould. It was a 3v3 affair, but each player also controlled a body double. Morgan was enthusiastic back in September, writing that it's "so fun I can't stop thinking about it". The general population did not share his enthusiasm, possibly because the game was a little unusual, as Mountaintop proudly acknowledges.

"We wanted to deliver something innovative and original in a crowded genre that would bring friends together around unforgettable moments," the letter continues. "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."

New purchases will be disabled imminently, and all purchases made since the launch of Season 1 will be refunded. More info on how that will happen will come soon.

Spectre Divide is the latest in a string of dismal failures in the live service space, demonstrating how difficult it is to break into a market already dominated by heavyweights like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite and Valorant.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

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