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[Draugoth]

Free Radical Design had plans to revive the classic TimeSplitters shooter franchise. Unfortunately it looks like this will never come to fruition, as they were recently closed by Embracer Group.

With the studio having been closed and the project possibly dead, concept art for the new game ended up appearing on the internet, at least giving fans of the franchise a taste of what they could have received.

Source with More Images

 

[mansoor1980]

looked promising , sony or microsoft should have bought free radical

 

[Punished Miku]

Definitely some interesting character designs. Shame it never came together.

 

[Imtjnotu]

just give me time splitters 2 remaster. i dont care about the graphics

 

[Kurotri]

Unbelievable. This probably really hurt the devs.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

dang

 

[Woopah]

I am so very very sad.

 

[Trunx81]

just give me time splitters 2 remaster. i dont care about the graphics

Best MP on GameCube. Had so much fun in the cathedral and the burning “catch” game.

 

[CamHostage]

looked promising , sony or microsoft should have bought free radical

Naw, I was into the Timesplitters revival possibilities, but this was a new studio in the Free Radical but only a few (key) heads from the PS2/Rare days heading it. The other surviving portion of Free Radical is in Dambuster Studio.

Also, if somebody else had bought the team, they wouldn't have necessarily gotten the Timesplitters IP. Or used it, since neither Sony or MS are much into retro product lines.

 

[Hudo]

I feel like the shit Embracer have pulled should've resulted in some lawsuits. I can't comprehend that no one on the management side (CEO, CFO and whoever) and no one on the board of directors has to face any consequences. No lawsuits, nothing.

If I lost my institution a multi-million amount of money and fucked up projects along the way, "just" getting fired would be the best outcome.

 

[Imtjnotu]

Best MP on GameCube. Had so much fun in the cathedral and the burning “catch” game.

playing Virus with my friends back in the day screaming our heads off

 

[Hohenheim]

Could this be revived with a kickstarter? Seems like lots of people really wants this (me being one). Miss the splitscreen fun!

 

[Oberstein]

Free Radical Design had plans to revive the classic TimeSplitters shooter franchise. Unfortunately it looks like this will never come to fruition, as they were recently closed by Embracer Group.

With the studio having been closed and the project possibly dead, concept art for the new game ended up appearing on the internet, at least giving fans of the franchise a taste of what they could have received.

Sourcewith More Images

 

[Putonahappyface]

That's a damn shame.

 

[Soodanim]

It's one of those IPs that is unmistakably cursed. It doesn't matter how much love people have for it, nothing can ever materialise.

 

[proandrad]

In some random timeline this game came out. It was trash and gamers made of thread that it should have been canceled.

 

[mortal]

Embracer Group is like a blight on the gaming industry. Just taking out developers left and right.
Doing business with the wrong publisher can be a death sentence for any game or studio.

 

[CamHostage]

I feel like the shit Embracer have pulled should've resulted in some lawsuits. I can't comprehend that no one on the management side (CEO, CFO and whoever) and no one on the board of directors has to face any consequences. No lawsuits, nothing.

...Sued for what? This get-big-fast approach was always the Embracer business plan, it's what these companies sold for. And for a few years, it worked. But without a huge backer in this global economy sag, bills come due for everybody.

Free Radical would not exist today without Embracer. This version of the studio was formed specifically because Embracer wanted to build on the IP it owned, which it acquired after a series of fire sales where Free Radical or its patent companies went bankrupt. Maybe David Doak and Steve Ellis might have one day formed an indie studio to make a spiritual successor, but money would have been tight and success would not have been guaranteed. (Look at the Burnout successor efforts at Three Fields, which hasn't yet fully satisfied fans in its 10 year history since leaving Criterion. )

Sadly, Embracer was the one of the only publishers left doing what it did with making old franchises new again. They may revive their own brands (sega just announced a few, ) but only ones core to their legacy audience and usually at indie budgets. I can't think of another publisher who would have backed a Timesplitters revival, can you?

 

[ungalo]

Probably would have been mid but still a shame.

 

[InterMusketeer]

Always sounded like vaporware to me, but I was still hoping for something. A shame.

 

[Thabass]

Fucking Embracer.

 

[F0rneus]

Goddamn that's painful to see. I'd rather have never seen anything, so I'd never know what I missed.

This looks real good. It looks and feels like Timesplitters. I need it.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

These leaked in-game screenshots and concept art legit looked so good...

 

[simpatico]

From what I understand, the version of "Free Radical" that was making this game is akin to going to a "Rolling Stones" concert with none of the original band members. We as hobbyists need to learn actual names of devs and lose our attachment to the names of studios. Too many times it's not a good representation of who is actually making the game.

 

[Kenneth Haight]

Damn, that’s a shame. Some of those first screenshots look really nice.

 

[Neon Xenon]

Goddamn shame. I don't know how well a TimeSplitters game would fit into the current FPS market, but this is not a way that any series with this much love should ever go out.

Yet another reason to say "Fuck Embracer Group".

 

[deriks]

Shit, those images looks cool

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Timesplitters 2 was sooo perfect. The best version of the Goldeneye style of FPS.

 

[Arsic]

I have a feeling this could be an amazing VR game.

Too bad we will never know.

 

[Robb]

Not sure if this game would’ve been my cup of tea anyway, but there’s definitely some neat/interesting looking stuff here. Too bad..

 

[ReBurn]

From what I understand, the version of "Free Radical" that was making this game is akin to going to a "Rolling Stones" concert with none of the original band members. We as hobbyists need to learn actual names of devs and lose our attachment to the names of studios. Too many times it's not a good representation of who is actually making the game.

Knowing the names of individual devs sounds creepy and stalkerish, tbh. They probably like the anonymity that the studio umbrella provides.

 

[March Climber]

I normally like leaked information about cancelled projects, but this...

Edit: This particular image stings even more because by looking at it you could get a sense that the classic Timesplitters' level design might have been in it:

It looks like a potentially fun multiplayer map.

 

[R6Rider]

This particular image stings even more because by looking at it you could get a sense that the classic Timesplitters' level design might have been in it:

It looks like a potentially fun multiplayer map.

My exact thoughts when I saw that image. Something about the stairs, the angle, the spacing.

 

[Calverz]

Fucking embracer. Microsoft get some amount of stick on here but fucking embracer man…..

 

[Generic]

Future Perfect had such a great multiplayer mode

 

[simpatico]

Knowing the names of individual devs sounds creepy and stalkerish, tbh. They probably like the anonymity that the studio umbrella provides.

You think directors and cinematographers feel the same way?

 

[ozz ex machina]

Knowing the names of individual devs sounds creepy and stalkerish, tbh. They probably like the anonymity that the studio umbrella provides.

I don't think it's stalkerish. It's appreciating their craft. It's stalkerish to contact them inappropriately. But acknowledging those who make the games we love is the important thing.

 

[Beer Baelly]

 

[radewagon]

I am so very very sad.

 

[splattered]

Looks pretty good but if you told me those were screens from newer fortnite id believe you. Not a bad thing at all, just sayin

 

[SidViscous]

Looks like they nailed what a Timesplitters game should look like with modern hardware, tragic it's been cancelled. FRD are fucking cursed, I remember that amazing looking Starwars Battlefront that also got the rug pulled by the licence being revoked. Wish someone like Sony or Microsoft would give them the support to actually get a game out of the door to see if they could capture that Rareware magic.

 

[AJUMP23]

I would embrace that character design.

 

[ShirAhava]

This looks a bit too fun and interesting for the current gaming industry

but seriously TS is awesome biggest bummer cancellation for me since "Project Psychic"

 

[Rat Rage]

This could have been such a cool game.

If the IP is held hostage by Embracer, then the devs could go the Eiyuden Chronicles or Bloodstained way and annouce a kickstarter with a different name (e.g. Time Triggers or whatever) in order to continue making the game they always wanted that way.

 

[Flabagast]

Ugly as hell

 

[ultrazilla]

looked promising , sony or microsoft should have bought free radical

They need to band together and form their own studio.

 

[Evil Calvin]

I feel like the shit Embracer have pulled should've resulted in some lawsuits. I can't comprehend that no one on the management side (CEO, CFO and whoever) and no one on the board of directors has to face any consequences. No lawsuits, nothing.

If I lost my institution a multi-million amount of money and fucked up projects along the way, "just" getting fired would be the best outcome.

I'm pretty sure Embracer still owns Soul Reaver. I wanted an original Blood Omen Legacy of Kain remake.

 

[Icymanipulator]

Sony should buy the IP

 

[Badlucktroll]

Sony should buy the IP

I for one think the main IP they should buy is Metal Gear.

 

[Moses85]