On top of that, an alleged interview with a developer choosing to remain anonymous has also been published on the community-managed Free Radical Archive, revealing details about the cancelled project and its development. The Free Radical Archive claims that the anonymous developer verified their identity by sending a previously unseen version of a piece of character concept art that aligns with a different render of the same character that has been publicly shared, with a few different details.

According to the interview, the new TimeSplitters game was originally meant to be a free-to-play battle royale shooter, with additional modes like deathmatch, team deatchmatch, capture the bag, and more. “Characters and skins were microtransactions,” the developer said. “At least that was the plan. There was debate over what would be offered as standard and what was purchasable. But for the sake of the publisher we showed everything as purchasable.”

However, the developer has claimed Free Radical Design was never fully sold on the original vision for the game. “Nobody wanted that really, not even us, but we didn’t have much of a choice for a long time,” they said.

As per the developer, co-founder Steve Ellis pitched the game as a battle royale shooter to then-publisher Deep Silver in order to get the project greenlit. They said, “I think Steve pitched the BR to them [Koch Media/Deep Silver] in order to get it greenlit. I’m not convinced it was ever his end goal.”

They added: “I personally think that Steve never intended to release a BR, he always intended to get the funding and the interest first and deviate once the investment was there. I could be wrong though. He’s a hard man to read.”

Allegedly, the game was rebooted as a remake of TimeSplitters 2 of sorts, while also incorporating elements from TimeSplitters 1 and 3. The developer described it as a “remake with a few new/slightly changed levels and an alternate timeline story”.

As per the developer, it was Ellis who pushed for the game to be rebooted as a linear, single player experience. “Yes, he basically had everyone stop and spend a couple of weeks throwing together the Dam and a ‘Campaign’ mode with some semblance of a questline to follow in order to demonstrate the power of a linear game and how quickly we could put levels together,” they said.

Speaking about the narrative premise for the game, they explained: “There wasn’t a whole lot of story while it was a battle royale, but we had things like the Ancient Astronauts and the ‘Space Bar’ which was a hub area similar to The Cycle’s lobby area where you could buy things and prep for games etc. Once we switched to the remake, it was going to be a ‘What If…’ where Corporal Hart went through instead of Cortez so we could make things slightly different.”

Given that Embracer Group still owns the TimeSplitters IP, it remains to be seen whether the company still plans on doing something with it, but as per the anonymous developer, the project that Free Radical Design was working on has been cancelled.

They said, “As of this moment in time it’s cancelled. Whether Plaion will try to have another studio in the future to give it a crack, I don’t know. But everyone at Free Radical got laid off except perhaps Steve, I’m not privy to his arrangement, but none of the people who worked on the project are still doing so.”

The art has been shared by a number of developers who were members of the Free Radical team that was working on the game, who have shared the pieces on their ArtStation profiles, which has then been compiled by the community on the fan-run Free Radical wiki.

The concept art showcases a variety of locations, weapons, characters, and assets that had been created for the game. You can view a selection of the environment art below, showcasing a Wild West town and its surrounding areas, a futuristic city, a Soviet base in an icy biome, overgrown ruins in a dense forest, and a city sporting Brutalist architecture.

Whether Embracer Group is still planning on reviving the TimeSplitters franchise following Free Radical Design’s shuttering remains to be seen, but currently, the future is looking dire for the IP.

Now, it seems that has officially happened, as indicated by the official Free Radical Design website, where no information, media, or links are available, with the main (and only) page plainly stating, “404 company not found”.

Meanwhile, developers who were employed at the studio have also confirmed its closure on social media. Senior artist Mark Normington, senior tech artist Adam Kiraly, and programmer Martynas Antipenkovas were among several former employees to confirm on Twitter that Free Radical Design had been shut down.

The studio’s closure comes amidst an internal restructuring program initiated by Embracer Group earlier in the year. The program has entailed multiple project cancellations, studio closers, and layoffs, and as of last month, had resulted in around 900 people losing their jobs.

Saints Row developer Volition was shut down earlier this year, while the likes of Chorus developer Fishlabs, Insurgency: Sandstorm developer New World Interactive, and Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics have also been hit with layoffs. Reportedly, Embracer Group is also considering selling off Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment.

https://twitter.com/KeighleyKicker/status/1734204963784429878

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

Took the picture a bit late. Many good experiences. Many good people. I bid adeu and am excited for the new chapter that's waiting me after the new year! I wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavours!! pic.twitter.com/yUti9K5gZx

— Martynas Antipenkovas (@MartynasAnE) December 11, 2023

According to VideoGamesChronicle, Jannsen confirmed privately that the studio, as part of company-wide cuts, was going to be shut down on December 11. Plaion itself hasn’t publicly confirmed the closure of Free Radical Design as of yet, neither has parent company Embracer Group.

“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,” said Jannsen in an internal email. “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.”

Since Plaion or Embracer Group haven’t yet confirmed the closure of the studio publicly, it is currently unknown what the fate of the TimeSplitters revival will be. Embracer has seen quite a bit of turmoil this year, with Saints Row and Red Faction developer Volition being shut down earlier in 2023.

Studios being shut down are part of Embracer Group’s restructuring efforts announced earlier this year, since the company had been facing financial troubles after failing to close a deal with Savvy Games Group. As part of the restructuring, Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics has also seen layoffs.

As per a report by VGC, Embracer Group – parent company of Plaion, the label under which Free Radical Design operates – is on the verge of closing down the studio. Employees have reportedly been informed that the studio could be shuttered amidst an ongoing internal review, and though there is a possibility that that doesn’t happen, it seems like a slight one, especially with 15 Free Radical employees having confirmed their departure from the studio on LinkedIn.

If the studio does indeed get shut down, it will remain to be seen what will become of the TimeSplitters IP. Fellow Embracer-owned studio Volition was shut down earlier this year, though it was confirmed afterward that Volition properties Saints Row and Red Faction would continue under other studios.

These closures come as part of an ongoing restructuring program at Embracer Group, which was announced earlier in the year, with the company suffering financial setbacks after failing to close a deal with Savvy Group worth $2 billion earlier in 2023. That restructuring program has also entailed layoffs at Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, while Embracer is reportedly also looking for buyers for Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment.

In September, the company confirmed that it would be closing “a few” more studios over the coming months.

Death Stranding 2 – Working Title

Kojima Productions’ took a huge risk with Death Stranding – a game that veered away from open-world and action-adventure stereotypes to create something that was totally different from the crowd. Sure, it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea – but it certainly managed to garner a dedicated fanbase that warranted a sequel. After a healthy round of rumours from multiple sources and hints from Kojima-san himself, Death Stranding 2 has finally been announced at the recent The Game Awards. 

The trailer stars Fragile as she makes her way out of a safehouse with a baby in hand, and we see new vehicles like a unicycle in this segment as well. Then, we cut back to the present and we see an older Sam being convinced by Fragile to take another arduous journey with her. Sure, the details are scant at the moment – and we can’t wait to know more about the sequel and see the changes in action.

Grand Theft Auto 6

Grand Theft Auto 5 was released back in 2013, and it’s shocking to see how we have been deprived of a new GTA game for almost 10 years now. Naturally, plenty of rumours and reports emerged in recent years – but Rockstar has finally announced that the next numbered entry in the series is in active development. But then some leaked gameplay also showcased some new details such as a female protagonist, shop robberies, among other things.

It’s nowhere near ready yet, and Rockstar’s insistence on keeping development details close to its chest further solidifies this belief. But at least we know its coming, and hopefully – more information will be revealed in 2023.

Beyond Good And Evil 2

Believe it or not, Beyond Good and Evil 2 was announced back in 2008 – and while we didn’t get to see much of it in action, Ubisoft did unveil a cinematic trailer of the sequel in 2018. And following that, we got to see some gameplay snippets where we see different shades of action, exploration, and player progression in the heart of the open world. 

As you can already guess, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has some pretty lofty ambitions – such as multiple giant planets (each with its own sets of rules and regulations, different quests and rewards and so on). And sure enough, it seems like these ambitions have gotten the better of them since the development hasn’t obviously been the smoothest. 

Fun fact: Beyond Good and Evil 2 has broken the world record for being the longest game in development, which was previously held by Duke Nukem Forever with a development cycle of 15 years.

The developer has confirmed that it’s still working on the game, so we can rest knowing that it will hopefully come out in the near future. 

State of Decay 3 

Undead Labs unveiled the first glimpse of State of Decay 3 back in 2020, and that was a pretty brief showing. We know that the development is being done on Unreal Engine 5, and the game will be coming to Xbox and PC. More details will probably surface in the near future, so stay tuned for that.

New Fatal Fury

Before there was King of Fighters, developer SNK was best known for its work on the Fatal Fury series. The series has remained in hiatus for more than 20 years, but not anymore. SNK has announced that a new game in the series has been greenlit. Details other than that are sparse for now, and fans are equal parts excited and skeptical about the many changes that would be happening to the series. 

Wonder Woman

Monolith Productions of Shadow of Mordor fame is moving to a new territory with its upcoming Wonder Woman game. It was announced back at The Game Awards 2021, and apart from a brief teaser showcasing a close-up of Wonder Woman’s character model – we know very little about what’s in store. That said, Monolith has clarified that will be an original story and set in an open world – so we are naturally looking forward to seeing elements from the Mordor games being morphed for this experience. The Nemesis system is confirmed make a return – though we can’t say how that will be adapted for this game.

New Iron Man Game

Remember the last time that we received an amazing Iron Man game? Me neither. But thankfully – EA Motive and Marvel are joining forces to bring a new experience starring our beloved superhero. We know that it will be an original story that will tap into the rich story of Iron Man, and that it will have AAA-level production quality – but other than that, we know very little about this game. It’s obviously some ways off from release, but we can’t wait to dive into it. 

Untitled Marvel game from Skydance New Media

There’s no shortage of Marvel games coming in the near future, but you might be surprised to know that Skydance New Media – a gaming division of Skydance Media – is also working on one such title. Amy Hennig is leading the project, and we know that it will be an original story that will revolve around Black Panther, Captain America and two additional heroes. The short trailer reveals that the game is set during World War II, and the developers have promised that it will “craft an all-new, thrilling narrative experience.”

New TimeSplitters game

Much like Fatal Fury that we discussed before, most fans had accepted that TimeSplitters is a franchise that’s been lost to the times. However, that’s not the case since Deep Silver has finally announced that a sequel is in the works. It will be developed by Free Radical Design under the leadership of original co-founders. But don’t expect it to come out anytime soon, since development is still in its earliest stages at the time of writing this feature. It has not been confirmed for PS5 and Xbox Series X | S yet, but given that the publisher releases its games on most modern platforms, current-gen versions of the game is definitely not out of the question.

Control 2

Remedy Entertainment struck gold with Control, a game that’s the perfect showcase of the Finnish developer’s biggest strengths. Following its success and the ending of the original, it’s only natural that a sequel would follow. After plenty of rumours, Remedy has finally announced that a full-fledged sequel to Control is in the works. We can expect it to dive deeper into the Remedy multiverse and I hope there will be some links to the events that will happen in Alan Wake 2, alongside major gameplay improvements as well. But it’s still in deep development, so there’s going to be some time before we get our hands on this game.

Given how many studios Embracer Group as a whole has under its belt, it can be hard to keep track of which studios and properties fall under which publishing label. The Koch Media label houses quite a few major names, including Deep Silver, Flying Wild Hog, and Milestone srl. Given that lineup, we can probably guess which games are going to show up at the event- or at least speculate about it.

Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior 3 is due out later this year, as is developer Fishlab’s Chorus, so it’s quite likely that we’ll be seeing more of those games. Dead Island 2, meanwhile, has been in development at Dambuster Studios for some time now, while it’s also about time we heard something official about Volition and Saints Row 5, so here’s hoping those games get updates as well.

Given that fact that Free Radical Design was only recently re-established and that development on the next TimeSplitters game hasn’t even started yet, it’s unlikely that we’ll hear more about that at the event.

Either way, we’ll keep you updated on all news coming our way, so stay tuned.

New Event Added – Friday, June 11, Noon PT / 3 PM ET. #SummerGameFest pic.twitter.com/xPTrBNSdrO

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) May 28, 2021

It’s been over a decade and a half since we got the last TimeSplitters game, but a return of the franchise has been on the cards for some time now. Holding company Embracer Group acquired the IP back in 2018, and a year later, the series’ co-creator and co-founder of original developer Free Radical Design Steve Ellis joined up to help plot the future of the series. Now, we have (somewhat) concrete news on what that’s going to look like.

Deep Silver has announced that Free Radical Design is being reformed under the leadership of original co-founders David Doak and the aforementioned Steve Ellis. The studio will begin development on the next TimeSplitters game, though Deep Silver states that development hasn’t yet started. More news on the same will be shared when they “have more news to share.”

Free Radical Design was acquired by Crytek in 2009 following reports of bankruptcy, following which they were restructured as Crytek UK, and would go on to work on Crysis 2, Crysis 3, and Warface. Internal restructuring led to much of the staff being laid off in 2014, following which many core members of the team would go on to form Dambuster Studios (also owned by Deep Silver), who are currently working on Dead Island 2.

A new Deep Silver Studio is coming – Free Radical Design pic.twitter.com/N5qTTcZfsW

— Deep Silver (@deepsilver) May 20, 2021

TimeSplitters was probably one of the most inventive first person shooters of its time, a glorious game that a lot of fans look back upon fondly. With shooters getting a renaissance of sorts in recent times – games like DOOM, Titanfall 2, Overwatch, Splatoon, and more are far different from the ordinary expectation of what a shooter should be – now is as good a time as any for a TimeSplitters revival.

Thankfully, it looks like TimeSplitters Rewind, the previously announced remake of the original games in CryEngine, will be releasing later this year. The game is a standalone multiplayer game being developed by fans of the original Timesplitters series. It will include characters, maps, and weapons from all three games completely rebuilt in the new engine. While this is a far cry from a brand new TimeSplitters, for many fans, even this may be enough.

You can check out a trailer for TimeSplitters Rewind below.