It looks as though Free Radical Design, the UK studio behind the Timesplitters franchise, is the next to face closure in a continuously crumbling industry landscape.
VGC has reported that Free Radical has found itself as part of parent company Embracer Group’s widespread restructuring, which has already seen Saints Row developer Volition shuttered and some other brands looking to be sold off, such as Gearbox. The outlet says that people “close to” the studio have shared that employees were told it could be closed, with UK employment law dictating that Embracer and Plaion need to consult with staff for at least 30 days before redundancies as well as explore alternative options.
While neither Free Radical itself or Embracer has addressed the potential studio closure as of yet, VGC says that at least 15 people employed at the studio have shared on social media and LinkedIn that they’re newly looking for work.
Free Radical Design, which developed the original Timesplitters series along with games like Second Sight and Haze and had gone bankrupt in 2008, was re-established with its original founders back in 2021 with the specific goal of bringing the Timesplitters franchise back. If the studio does indeed close once again, it’s hard to say what would happen to that project, especially given we’d heard very little of it since.
A new Deep Silver Studio is coming – Free Radical Design pic.twitter.com/N5qTTcZfsW
— Deep Silver (@deepsilver) May 20, 2021
