Free Radical Design, the UK-based video game developer that has been working on a revival of the PS2 classic TimeSplitters franchise, appears to have shut down again. At the time of writing, the company’s website has been replaced with the message “404 Company Not Found :-(“, with multiple employees posting about their last day with the company on social media.
As of 12 December 2023, 11:25 PM, Free Radical Design’s parent company, Plaion, has officially confirmed that the studio has officially shut down on LinkedIn. In the same post, the company has also wished all its former employees the best of luck in their future endeavours, as most were already in the process of searching for a new job before the shutdown was officially announced.
In its current iteration, the company has existed since 2021, when it was assimilated into the rapidly expanding Embracer Group, as they aim to “bring the TimeSplitters franchise back to life.” Along with this announcement, the company confirmed that the revival will take place in a new studio. Series creators Steve Ellis and David Doak also returned to help with the project.
However, in May of this year, the Embracer group announced that the company would be “restructuring” right after a US$2 billion deal fell through. It was also this restructuring that resulted in the closure of Saints Row developer Volition and reported attempts to sell off Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment.
This would be the second time the company has shut down. Several developers who had previously worked for Rare on GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark founded the company in 1999, and the studio would go on to create the critically acclaimed TimeSpliters trilogy. But after the release of the studio’s poorly received PS3 exclusive Haze and the cancellation of its Star Wars: Battlefront project, Free Radical Design went bankrupt in 2008. The company would be sold to Crytek and rebranded as Crytek UK, where they developed Crysis 2, Crysis 3, and Warface before shutting down in 2014.
The last day at FRD was very different from what I imagined. I don’t think it sunk in properly just yet, but handed my keys in and left the building the last time. It’s Time to Split pic.twitter.com/n1UGELsoED
— Adam Kiraly (@94Kiraly) December 11, 2023
Rumours of Free Radical Design’s possible closure began in early November, when VGC reported that employees had been informed that the studio might close. This news also raised the possibility that the studio could be saved by a new owner, but sadly did not come to pass.
