The TimeSplitters series' future is looking grim, as its dev studio Free Radical Design have been shut down yet again.
Remember TimeSplitters? The 2000s shooter series involving time travel and playable squids with guns (a bit ahead of its time there) has had a cult following, but no new entries since Future Perfect in 2005. The series' original developers Free Radical Design had supposedly been working on one since 2021, but now it's looking like that game doesn't have a future anymore. Or Free Radical for that matter, as they're the latest victim of the studio's owner Embracer Group's "restructuring".
Embracer confirmed the studio's closure to VGC, stating that they "[...] are beyond grateful for their incredible contributions to PLAION and wish them the best of luck and success on their professional journey from here on out.” Which isn't much of a consolation for the studio's 80-ish former employees who are now unemployed just before the holidays.
Embracer group's layoff spree has been making headlines throughout the year, having reached a headcount of over 900 people in November already. According to a report by Axios their "restructuring" is in response to a deal with a Saudi-backed investment group falling through back in May of this year. This left them with $2b less spending money than they accounted for after a rapid expansion period. Free Radical Design are just one of many studios that have been shuttered or sold off in order to mitigate Embracer's losses.
TimeSplitters: A Series Lost To Time
TimeSplitters fans just can't seem to catch a break. Rumors about a potential new entry in the series surfaced as early as 2007, but the project has been confirmed, de-confirmed, put on ice, and revived so many times in the years since that I can't imagine anyone was feeling particularly optimistic about it anymore. This latest news just seems like the final nail in the series' coffin.
But who knows, maybe someone with the resources to do right by the IP will get their hands on it eventually! Personally, I'm still hopeful that TimeSplitters will find its way back to the future someday.
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