The new studio is cooking up a game that appears to be very similar to CS:GO or VALORANT.

Spectre is an upcoming tactical shooter in development by Mountaintop, a new studio made up of veterans from across the gaming industry. The game, which takes inspiration from the likes of Counter-Strike (CS:GO) and VALORANT, is still in early development. However, the star-studded development squad and upcoming playtests are slowly gaining attention for the project.

If you’re interested in the game after the initial reveal in 2023, here’s everything there is to know about Spectre.

What kind of game is Spectre?

Spectre is a 3v3 tactical FPS that appears to be very similar to CS:GO or VALORANT. However, the game puts several twists on the standard formula.

The game’s central mechanic is called Duality, where players control two in-game characters instead of just one. During a round, players can drop markers that spawn their second character, which they can then switch between during the round. Players also pick from a set of classes with unique traits, similar to VALORANT.

A concept art piece that could be a playable character (Image via Mountaintop)
A concept art piece that could be a playable character (Image via Mountaintop)

Notably, there is another tactical FPS called Spectre that came out in 2023. Despite sharing names and genres, the projects are completely different with no further similarities. Mountaintop’s Spectre could change names before its eventual release.

What is Mountaintop studio?

Spectre is Mountaintop’s first game. The studio hosts veteran developers from across the industry, with names from Epic Games, Riot Games, Valve Corporation, Naughty Dog, Respawn Entertainment, Double Fine, and more. The game’s director is Lee Horn, who previously handled eCommerce for Riot Games and was the senior director of product for Monopoly Go! before becoming the vice president and game director for Mountaintop in 2021.

What’s the release date for Spectre?

The game does not have a release date, but based on multiple factors, we predict a release date of 2025. The development cycle for esports titles is usually quite long, and Spectre only started opening up playtests in late 2023.

Spectre aims high as a genre-bending tactical shooter, and an esports scene is a likely goal. Public updates on the game’s development are slow, with playtests being the primary way to drum up hype. As a result, don’t expect the game to come out anytime in 2024. 

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest updates on all things Spectre.