Mountaintop Studios, a team composed of veteran game developers from Respawn, Riot Games, Bungie, and other major studios, has announced their debut project to the public after years of dedicated work.

Spectre Divide aims to revolutionize the competitive tactical shooter genre. This free-to-play 3v3 game draws inspiration from titles such as Valorant and Counter-Strike while introducing its own distinctive gameplay.

The game’s central mechanic, Duality, enables each player to control two characters simultaneously, offering a wide array of tactical and strategic possibilities (two bodies, one mind). It serves as a second chance mechanic, granting players a second life in each match.

Spectre Divide incorporates familiar weapon spray patterns but also encourages players to aim down their sights and shoot while on the move. In the game’s fictional “Santai” competition, players have the freedom to create their own characters, each with a diverse selection of abilities to complement their preferred playstyle.

The game emphasizes competitive play, featuring a strong focus on ranked matches and weekly competitions. While the game is free-to-play, it does not include loot boxes. Instead, players can directly purchase characters and weapon skins, as well as unlock sponsors through gameplay or purchase them.

In 2020, Mountaintop Studios began assembling a fully remote team of 70 people. The company secured $60 million in funding and drew the interest of several popular streamers. For instance, Twitch star Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek joined as the company’s lead gameplay adviser over the past year.

Spectre Divide is scheduled to launch on PC via Steam sometime this year. The first major stress test is set to take place from 3-4 August 2024.

Watch the gameplay deep dive to get a sneak peek of what to expect.