Blue123 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/free-radical-design-latest-to-face-financial-trouble http://www.edge-online.com/features/source-free-radical-locked-up http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/free-radical-design-closes-doors So, apparently, Free Radical are closed for business. Has anyone else heard about this? I think it's a pretty sad thing, as FR made TimeSplitters, which is perhaps one of the most enjoyable series I've played through... the humour and wackyness of the games was just pure bliss. It's a pity to see a zany and (moar than others) original studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordBreaker Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Gotta agree with you there. TimeSplitters was such a unique series. The humor and characters are absolutely hilarious. Gameplay was tight as well. Sad to see such a great developer die so suddenly just because of one flop. If only they focused on the new TimeSplitters and canceled Haze... Oh well, I hope the new company that rises from its ashes gets to work on something soon. It's too bad that we won't see the new TimeSplitters, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobocop Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Oh no... this is the worst news ever. TimeSplitters is my favourite FPS series. Their official website doesn't even have a mere mention of any of this, so I hope we soon get a definitive answer about the game's future. First Nintendo starts making crap games, and now this. What a year... Edit: seems like an employee who posts at timesplitters4.net confirmed that it's pretty much all true. I guess I should have seen it coming, with all the jokes in the letters section (about them needing to sell another million copies of Haze). TS4 was the only game that I was really looking forward to. Hopefully the rights get bought by someone who won't butcher the franchise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekofrog Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Another victim of the HD generation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordBreaker Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Another victim of the HD generation. I guess now is the time to start asking "Who's next?"...which sucks. Looks like Midway's going to get killed very soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hy Bound Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I was totally depressed about hearing that... I absolutely LOVED Timesplitters (the first one especially). I really do hope this news of being "almost" shutdown is actually correct so that one day they may rise from the ashes, but I'm not holding out hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sole Signal Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Man, that's terrible news. The Timesplitters series was AWESOME and I really wanted to see 4 finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasfen Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 RIP, Free Radical (and all your monkey mayhem). I wouldn't be surprised to see David Doak and friends start up again elsewhere. Those guys are too good to be forced out of the industry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadofsky Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 With the way the economy is going, I wonder where most game companies will be at by the time this is all sorted out (if it ever even is). EA isn't fairing so well, and I actually feel bad for them. They were just starting to go and make original titles, and this is what they get for exploring new IP. Watch Rare go under next (the way most of their games are going, I'll be surprised if Microsoft doesn't give them the axe). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anosou Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Another victim of the HD generation. People should just focus on Xbox Live Arcade and PSN-titles and they won't have to worry about the expensive pile of shit that is HD-gaming full-price titles Or PS2. That's still the best console ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecilff2 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Terrible...there goes my favorite FPS multiplayer series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Jovian Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Or SNES. That's still the best console ever. Fixed that for ya, buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anosou Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Fixed that for ya, buddy. You're a bad person and a hypocrite and I feel sorry for you.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Jovian Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 That's probably for the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCvgluvr Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Wow, truly disappointing. I loved TS2 and 3. Is there absolutely no hope for the 4th one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobocop Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Wow, truly disappointing. I loved TS2 and 3. Is there absolutely no hope for the 4th one? It's always possible that the studio will either be annexed into a second party, or that the IP will be bought by some other gaming company. However, with these tough financial times, I don't really see that happening (but obviously I'm hoping very much that it does). If economic conditions were stable, I would assume maybe EA or Microsoft would consider buying them out (or again, just the TS series, since Haze and Second Sight are pretty useless, even though the latter was a decent game). This closure is really too bad, some of the most talented people in the industry were at this studio. So again, there's always hope, but I'd guess if it came to fruition, the series would be radically () different from its current form, which is truly a shame. Edit: Just found this http://gonintendo.com/?p=66857 Steve Ellis and David Doak have started up another company, Pumpkin Beach, and are staffing it with select Free Radical employees. http://www.pumpkinbeach.com/ Nothing on it yet, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH Sounds Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Pumpkin Beach Sounds more like a game level than a studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecilff2 Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Bump with a bit of an update It seems that Crytek bought Free Radical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyanCe Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Or PS2. That's still the best console ever. Big fat QFT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoeTaKa Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Wow no one knew about this? This was announced months ago, apparently one day the doors to Free Radical were closed and they were given directions to a hotel or something where they had a company hearing, where everyone was told they were not gonna be with the business anymore but Doak and the other...important guy with him said they were handpicking guys from that team for a new company. At this place were representatives of other companies such as Codemasters who were taking in resumes from the axed staff. Edit - btw what were they thinking with Haze? The demo was rubbish and there was nothing special about it, I would've hoped it would be the next perfect dark but no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 The news was announced 12/18... http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/free-radical-design-closes-doors ...the same day this topic was made. You know this was an old thread, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoeTaKa Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 No... lol I don't come here often, nor check dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlagshipAmadeus Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Ok well if that German company or whatever that bought them (is that even correct or am I making that up??) does not end up unleashing TS4 then when I am rich someday I will personally pay for it to get done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwordBreaker Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 So they're called Crytek UK now. With David Doak and Steve Ellis gone, it makes me wonder if this will significantly affect TimeSplitters 4. On the up side, Crytek will provide them with some good resources and vise versa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue123 Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 wonder if this will significantly affect TimeSplitters 4 David Doak and Steve Ellis gone It won't quite be the same, perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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