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Rumortoid: Free Radical locking its doors? photo

Here's a rather strange (and dismaying) rumor that has recently surfaced on the Eurogamer forums. According to a poster there, Free Radical Design employees are currently sitting at a Holiday Inn, wondering why they've been locked out of their offices. This sounds like a good old fashioned shut down, if it's true.

Free Radical is famous for the Timesplitters series and was supposed to be working on a fourth game in the franchise, along with the new Star Wars: Battlefront. Supposedly, the company is no longer answering phone calls and cannot be reached. 

On the one hand, this is an unfounded claim on a message board but on the other, it's a very bizarre story to just randomly decide to make up.  If true, that's a real shame, not just for the people employed, but for the ever-declining UK games industry. Hopefully it's not as bad as it looks, because I don't want to see another British developer fall apart.








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31 comments | showing # 1 to 31
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Nefilim's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:04
Nefilim
No, fuck no! I need more Timesplitters!
RonBurgandy2010's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:10
RonBurgandy2010
God I hope the janitor overslept and locked everyone out, screaming "YOU CAN COME IN WHEN I'M FUCKING DONE!"
DaveMan_CI's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:10
DaveMan_CI
Maybe they are just all on a huge Christmas holiday to celebrate the economic crisis we are in.
Jordan Devore's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:17
Jordan Devore
TimeSplitters 2 is my favorite FPS ever, so I hope this isn't something serious.
gamadaya's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:21
gamadaya
Dude, it probably is as bad as it looks, although I don't really care much. I liked Timesplitters 2 and Future Perfect, but who says they are capable of that kind of work again, if Haze is any indication.
KaL YoshiKa's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:27
KaL YoshiKa
SECOND SIGHT...PUT SECOND SIGHT ON THE LIST.

Also Timesplitters is such a fantastic Console FPS series...it'd be a shame to lose them.
spas's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:50
spas
Nooo! Then nottingham will go back to just being famous for Robin Hood :(
TorpedoTed's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:57
TorpedoTed
@ Hobgoblin

are you kidding? Avatars a f-ing amazing!!!totally original too ;¬)
El-Sveppi's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 07:59
El-Sveppi
If they go out of business all little part of me will die inside ;_;
weedgan's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 08:37
weedgan
@ Hobgoblin

Because there under Microsoft game studios, haha.

I hope this isn't true. And you know what I fucking hate? Yeah the economic situation right now might be bad but I'll be damned if thats ALL people fucking talk about! The news, the news paper...fucking everywhere and it's just so fucking negative and depressing, nobody needs that.

They could find a cure for fucking HIV and they'd talk about how many people are getting layed off from GM instead.

These are the things I hate.

/End//Rant

P.S on a side note, I really hope this isn't true because I was really looking foward to the new timesplitters game.
masterninja's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 08:56
masterninja
Nooooo! I have been a Timesplitters fan since the first I bought it with my launch PS2 they basically introduced me to FPS games...

If true I will be cranky for a long long time cause the third timesplitters isn't Backward compatible on the 360....:(
pandlcg's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 08:57
pandlcg
I'll never get the next star wars battlefront
Wexx's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 09:32
Wexx
NOoo we need more timesplitters!
mix's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 09:41
mix
I just picked up Haze yesterday BNIB for $15.

Timesplittlers will be missed if this is true.
nicojay's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 10:35
nicojay
CVG has an update worth reading on the matter.
njsykora's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 10:36
njsykora
Eurogamer are reporting it as being true, but also say the studio execs aren't returning their calls.
DarkTower06's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 10:37
DarkTower06
Kotaku reports as true. Damn shame.
Gameboi's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 10:38
Gameboi
Bad news, indeed.
SephirothX's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 10:52
SephirothX
Trust me everyone, the world doesnt need more Timesplitters! Timesplitters is like the Diet Caffene Free Pepsi of the video game industry.
Clbull's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 11:11
Clbull
If this is true then... NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I was looking forward to Timesplitters 4. I loved TS2 and thought that Future Perfect was pretty good too. Second Sight was AWESOME too.
hjd uk's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 11:18
hjd uk
@ SephirothX.
Well Mr.Emo Timesplitters may not be ShadowOfTheCollosus or MGS3 but it was *fun*. Decent console FPSs are hard to come by.

Anyway, Its hard to hear another developer may have bitten the dust, especially at this time of year huh?
I imagine they had a lot riding on Haze.
My condolences to Free Radical's employees.
Danl Haas's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 11:25
Danl Haas
These guys are the last real remnant of Rare. Here's hoping they can turn things around.
fetusmilk's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 11:26
fetusmilk
NO!!!!!, NOO!!!!! , NOOO!!!! , NOOOO!!! , NOOOOO!

the future of video games is a bleak one if there is no timesplitters to look forward to.

sony. if your going to buy up a company go for free radical.
GunSlap's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 11:33
GunSlap
Please if there is any justice in the universe, LET THIS BE SOME KIND OF A SICK JOKE!
Jaren Face's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 11:48
Jaren Face
What. B... but... Timesplitters 4 :(

Regardless if Haze was bad, I always had a strong liking for the Timesplitters franchise. Every game in it was really solid and I had many hours spent with them.

It's a shame. I was REALLY looking forward to it.
Kaikara's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 11:54
Kaikara
I shed a tear for the end of the real Rare. Goodbye Timesplitters, I'm sad you couldn't make it to the next-gen party :'-( .
Projectexodus's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 12:05
Projectexodus
Ahh, fuck! I was really looking forward to the next Timesplitters!

I guess some other company will take over the franchise, like what EA did with Command & Conquer.
Zanduar's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 12:24
Zanduar
I'm kinda sad. Timesplitters is one of my favorite series.
Johnny Justice's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 14:10
Johnny Justice
If true, poos!
Slique's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/18/2008 15:06
Slique
Fact: Haze killed Timesplitters.
hjd uk's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/19/2008 04:54
hjd uk
Looks like it was Lucasarts dropping them for Battlefront 3 did them in.
Its the typical game-dev-eggs-in-one-project-that-gets-canned-syndrome.

:(
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