Free Radical Design News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Embracer Group’s brutal company-wide cutbacks are continuing, and Free Radical Design is the latest studio to suffer the chopping block. Reports indicated last month that Embracer was considering shuttering the TimeSplitters studio just two years after its re-establishment, while later in November, it emerged that Free Radical was facing closure before Christmas.

I was eagerly awaiting the return of TimeSplitters.

Footage of the recently canceled TimeSplitters briefly appeared on the internet. The original TimeSplitters game was released in 2000, bearing notable similarities to GoldenEye, but having enough of its own flair to make it a hit. The TimeSplitters series gained a cult following in the PS2 era, continuing until the release of the third game in 2005. There were attempts to reboot the series, but ultimately nothing substantial.

A little while back, Embracer Group sadly shut down Timesplitter's studio Free Radical Design in a typical case of Embracer-led restructuring. After the closure, a former Free Radical developer revealed they'd worked on a "clone" of Fortnite before it transitioned to a remake of Timesplitters 2. And now footage has emerged of the cancelled project, which certainly does look like a team shooter reminiscent of Epic's epic.

Footage showing Free Radical Design's sadly-cancelled TimeSplitters project has surfaced online, revealing five minutes of gameplay.

The new TimeSplitters project recently in development at Free Radical Design was originally pitched as a battle royale game to rival Fortnite, a developer on the project has claimed.

Developer Free Radical Design has been shut down by Embracer Group, and the TimeSplitters reboot the studio had been working on has been presumably cancelled. In the wake of the studio’s shutter, several former employees have shared concept art for the shooter, showcasing weapons, environments, characters, and more.

Free Radical Design was recently shut down by Embracer Group, under three years since it was re-established to begin development on a new instalment for the dormant TimeSplitters franchise. In the wake of the studio’s shuttering, concept art for the first person shooter, which is thought to be cancelled, has emerged online.

Back in 2021, Free Radical Design was brought back from the dead to work on a new Timesplitters game. Today, the industry has been hit with more layoffs as news trickles out that Free Radical Design has been shut down by parent company Embracer. This follows a string of studio shut downs by Embracer following a $2bn deal falling through. That includes the closure of Saints Row developer Volition.

Back in 2021, Free Radical Design was brought back from the dead to work on a new Timesplitters game. Today, the industry has been hit with more layoffs as news trickles out that Free Radical Design has been shut down by parent company Embracer. This follows a string of studio shut downs by Embracer following a $2bn deal falling through. That includes the closure of Saints Row developer Volition.

TimeSplitters studio Free Radical have closed, according to social media messages from staff who have lost their jobs this week. Load up the Free Radical website, and you'll get the message: "404 Company Not Found :-(" I think it's safe to call this rumour confirmed, though we're still waiting for a formal announcement from parent Deep Silver or their overall owner Embracer Group.

Free Radical Design has reportedly closed down following earlier reports speculating its future.

After reports from earlier this month that developer Free Radical Design—which had been working on a revival of classic sci-fi shooter TimeSplitters—was on the verge of being shut down, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors has seemingly confirmed internally that the studio will be closed before Christmas.

Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors has reportedly confirmed to employees that TimeSplitters studio Free Radical is facing closure next month, as part of a sweeping restructuring programme that has already resulted in more than 900 job cuts at the company.

It was announced back in 2021 that TimeSplitters developer Free Radical Design had been re-established and that a revival of the sci-fi first person shooter IP had entered development, but it seems the project might be short-lived.

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Free Radical Design, the British game development studio best known for its work on the TimeSplitters and Crysis series, is reportedly at threat of being shut down, according to VGC sources. This comes just two years after it was reformed under parent company Deep Silver.

Publisher Deep Silver, which is owned by Embracer Group, announced in 2021 that it was reforming TimeSplitters developer Free Radical Design to begin development on a new entry in the series. Now, a new report from VideoGamesChronicle says this reformed Free Radical Design could be facing a complete shutdown, adding to Embracer's continued restructuring that has resulted in the closure of studios like Saints Row developer Volition Games.