"Spectre Divide Shuts Down 6 Months Post-Launch, Despite Shroud's Support"

Mountaintop Studios, the developer behind the tactical FPS game Spectre Divide, has announced that the game will be shutting down due to unmet expectations and insufficient revenue. This article delves into the reasons behind the closure, as stated by Mountaintop Studios' CEO, Nate Mitchell.

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 release, as its first season and console launch failed to meet the company's expectations. On March 13, Spectre Divide’s official Twitter (X) account shared a heartfelt message with fans, addressing the game's current situation and the company's challenges.

Mountaintop Studios CEO Nate Mitchell reflected on the launch of Spectre Divide Season 1: Flashpoint, 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 concurrent player count of around 10,000 across all platforms in the first week, the game struggled to maintain active players and generate sufficient revenue to keep operations running smoothly.

The Verge reported in December 2024 that Mountaintop Studios was facing financial difficulties, with the console launch and Season 1 being their last hope to turn things around. Spectre Divide Game Director Lee Horn noted that server issues at launch had significantly hampered the game's momentum. Mitchell further explained, "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."

The company plans to disable new purchases within 30 days and will refund money spent by players since the Season 1 relaunch. More details on these actions will be announced soon.

Spectre Divide Shutting Down Despite Raising $30 Million Last Year

The announcement from Mountaintop Studios has come as a surprise to many fans, especially since the company successfully raised $30 million in funding the previous year. This funding came from top investors such as Anthos Capital, RX3 Growth Partners, A16Z GAMES, and several angel investors, as reported on their LinkedIn account in 2024.

Despite this financial boost, the game and the company could not thrive. Mitchell shared, "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 added, "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 and ultimately failed, 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 also announced that Mountaintop Studios will be closing its doors by the end of the week, as they have exhausted their 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."