After reports from earlier this month that developer Free Radical Design—which had been working on a revival of classic sci-fi shooter TimeSplitters—was on the verge of being shut down, Plaion VP, Worldwide Studios & Talent, Lars Jannsen has seemingly confirmed internally that the studio will be closed before Christmas.
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.
