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[IbizaPocholo]

Embracer’s TimeSplitters studio Free Radical faces closure | VGC

The UK-based developer was re-established just two years ago to revive the classic FPS series…

www.videogameschronicle.com

According to people close to Free Radical Design, the Nottingham, UK-based studio has been part of the evaluation and employees have now been notified that it could close.

As required by UK employment law, Plaion – the Embracer division which runs Free Radical – must consult employees for a minimum of 30 days before making any redundancies, including exploring ways of avoiding them.

There remains a possibility that the studio could remain open then, should Embracer receive interest from third parties interested in acquiring it.

However, VGC analysis of LinkedIn and social media shows that, within just the last 24 hours, at least 15 people employed at Free Radical have already published posts saying they’re looking for work.

That includes a lead game designer, senior artist, senior technical artist, game designer and the studio’s IT manager.

 

[Kuranghi]

Fuck these giant companies buying eveeything and then fucking it all up, cunts!

 

[Ammogeddon]

FFS they are supposed to be working on a new TimeSplitters too.

 

[Skifi28]

Microsoft should buy them only to close the studio 6 months later without producing anything for maximum comedic effect.

 

[Krappadizzle]

They've been dead in my eyes for a while now.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

We will never get a new Timesplitters game. The franchise is cursed.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

 

[Badlucktroll]

i thought they already closed after the debacle that was HAZE

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Timesplitters 2 was an amazing game back in the days.

Timesplitters 3 was fun, but stuck in the past.
Haze was trash.

Not sure what else they were doing, but it's not surprising to see this news.
Sucks for those involved, though.

 

[Woopah]

Timesplitters 2 was an amazing game back in the days.

Timesplitters 3 was even better

Not sure what else they were doing, but it's not surprising to see this news.
Sucks for those involved, though.

Fixed, I will not have my boy Cortez disrespected

 

[tommycronin]

What have they done in the last 10 years? Using timesplitters 2 as an anchor point for us being sad for them closing is very weird to me. As much as I love the game it came out 21 years ago

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Fixed, I will not have my boy Cortez disrespected

Tbf the story was pretty good.

 

[Beer Baelly]

Such a shame

 

[Woopah]

Tbf the story was pretty good.

I played the single player campaign so many times.

What have they done in the last 10 years? Using timesplitters 2 as an anchor point for us being sad for them closing is very weird to me. As much as I love the game it came out 21 years ago

They were closed down after Haze, but reformed two years ago to make more Timesplitters.

 

[tommycronin]

I played the single player campaign so many times.


They were closed down after Haze, but reformed two years ago to make more Timesplitters.

I didn't even know that. I bought Timesplitters 2 on xbox there recently I really should go play it. Playing it on ps2 years ago with 4 player multitap on that tower level is still unmatched.

 

[Krappadizzle]

There's at least a few spiritual sequels in the works if memory serves and hopefully that fan remake is still doing well, I haven't checked the progress on it in a while, but last I saw it was shaping together nicely.

So many of us get caught in the trap of nostalgia for the name(s) of these forlorn studios that we forget that the people and spirit of most of these studios is a shadow of their former selves and is almost always used as a front from MajorCorp for their current design philosophy in business game design.

 

[R6Rider]

 

[FoxMcChief]

I thought Sony killed the TimeSplitters team ages ago.

 

[Kadve]

Iirc the UK has laws that state that you can only mass fire people as part of a downsizing if you absolutely and objectionably cant prove that there are nowhere else you can put them. Thats how most members ended up joining Dambuster last time the studio was shut down and something similar might happen here.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Embrace me through the Haze.

 

[Dr.D00p]

I'd be interested to know how much the owners of Free Radical pocketed when they were taken over...a pretty penny, I'd imagine.

 

[SJRB]

Holy shit Embracer, what the fuck are you doing

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I thought this studio died long time ago. Turns out Embracer brought them back to life a few years ago to make a new Timesplitters game.

Free Radical Design - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Reformation
In May 2021, Embracer Group announced during their 2020–2021 full-year report that Free Radical Design would be reformed as a subsidiary of Deep Silver with the intent of bringing "the much-loved TimeSplitters IP back to life".[18] Key original members of the original Free Radical Design are involved in the reformation including founders Steve Ellis and David Doak. Their studio is based in Nottingham.[19]

 

[Chuck Berry]

Just ordered an Xbox copy of TimeSplitters 2 off Amazon. Very good condition for $20.

Completely forgot this series existed. God I loved that era of games. Thanks OP.

 

[chixdiggit]

How have we not gotten a remaster collection of Timesplitters?

 

[Hohenheim]

Tinesplitters 2 will forever be in my top 10 of all time.

Wouldn't a kickstarter easily fund a new Timesplitters? Seems like there's lots of folks eagerly awaiting a new one.

 

[Rat Rage]

MOTHERFUCKERS! Just give us a new Timesplitters already!

Fuck Embracer!

Somebody start a fucking KICKSTARTER RIGHT NOW!

How can such a good franchise NOT be used - it's madness!