Check out never-before-seen footage from the cancelled TimeSplitters game by Free Radical! The studio unfortunately closed down just two years after it was revived, due to company-wide cuts at Embracer and its subsidiaries.
The team was hard at work on a new installment in the beloved TimeSplitters series, which hasn’t seen a release since 2005. Although the project may never see the light of day, head of art Rob Steptoe has shared a five-minute clip from the game on his LinkedIn account.
The footage showcases gameplay from a third-person perspective reminiscent of Fortnite, under the title TimeSplitters Next. It’s a bittersweet reminder of what could have been.
Plaion, an Embracer-owned publisher, confirmed the closure of Free Radical back in December, expressing gratitude for their contributions and wishing them luck in their future endeavors.
The closure of Free Radical Design marks yet another loss in an industry where studios are often treated as disposable assets. Despite their past successes with TimeSplitters and Second Sight, the studio faced challenges with titles like Haze and a cancelled Star Wars: Battlefront project, ultimately going bankrupt in 2008.
Luckily, in May 2021, original founders Steve Ellis and David Doak announced the resurrection of Free Radical Design to revive the TimeSplitters IP. Stay tuned for updates on their journey to bring the series back to life!
