Early this month, we reported that TimeSplitters 4 was once again in trouble as it looked like Embracer and their subsidiary Plaion was considering shutting down the studio Free Radical Design as a part of the big restructuring of the former. And as a really, really bad gift to the employees, it seems like this might happen almost in time for Christmas.
Sources close to VGC say a letter has been sent to the company, explaining that Free Radical Design will indeed be closed on December 11. The Plaion VP, Worldwide Studios & Talent, Lars Jannsen writes:
"As we move through the consultation process and face the potential closure of Free Radical Design on 11 December 2023, I want to express my gratitude for your commitment and the remarkable work you've done and still keep doing.
This is a challenging time for all of us but especially for you, and our focus is to support you as much as we can during this transition."
TimeSplitters 3 (TimeSplitters: Future Perfect) was released back in 2005 and since then, people have been asking for a new game in the series. But Free Radical Design has suffered from a very bumpy ride, and was turned into Crytek UK in 2009, merged with Dambuster Studios in 2014 and once again turned into Free Radical Design in 2021 to work on TimeSplitters 4.
But it doesn't seem like the game will happen this time either, and we fear this might have been the last chance for it to ever be made by at least some from the original crew. We're really hoping everything will be sorted out for the best for everyone involved.