Sing glory hallelujah, because the wishes of millions of gamers around the world have come true. Key Free Radical Design personnel, including founders David Doak and Steve Ellis, have reformed the studio and are working on a new TimeSplitters title.
What do we know about the new TimeSplitters?
Unfortunately, we really don't know too much about the project yet. What we do know is that Free Radical Design is reforming under publisher Deep Silver. The project is being held pretty tightly under wraps right now. Deep Silver brand and marketing director Paul Nicholls says fans constitute a "large and passionate following" who should be "excited" about the new TimeSplitters project. While unofficial fan projects like TimeSplitters Rewind are certainly exciting, this is the real deal.
For their part, Free Radical seems pretty stoked about the new game too. Studio development director and original founder Steve Ellis says it's "incredible" to be able to confirm the studio is working on a new TimeSplitters game. Ellis says Free Radical can't disclose any details about the game right now, but that it will have more to share in the future. Right now, Free Radical is building a new studio, which will be in Nottingham in the UK. Positions for working within the studio will open "in due course".
Why should you be excited about TimeSplitters?
The TimeSplitters franchise began in 2000 with the release of the original TimeSplitters on PS2, for which it was a launch title. Critically acclaimed sequels in the form of TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect followed in 2002 and 2005, respectively, and also branched out onto different platforms. The games are often compared to GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, largely because these titles share many key development staff members. In 2009, TimeSplitters developer Free Radical was acquired by Crytek and rebranded to Crytek UK, working on the Crysis games and multiplayer shooter Warface. It is worth noting here that key Free Radical personnel, including founders Doak and Ellis, had already departed at this point.
After numerous layoffs in 2014, the future of the studio was uncertain, so the announcement that Free Radical has reformed - complete with the original influential personnel who worked on TimeSplitters - and is working on a new TimeSplitters should be exciting for fans. If you haven't played these games, they're fun, bouncy shooters with a colorful cast of characters, a light-hearted sense of humor, and plenty of varied gameplay to enjoy. Here's hoping the fourth instalment brings the same level of joy and creativity the original trilogy did.
Are you excited by the prospect of a new TimeSplitters game? Let us know in the comments below!
