TimeSplitters devs Free Radical are reportedly the next Embracer studio facing closure

rockpapershotgun.com:

Resurrected TimeSplitters developers Free Radical Design could be the next Embracer-owned studio to be shuttered, according to recent reports. The rumoured closure comes just two years after the veteran British label were resurrected by their original founders to work on a new TimeSplitters game.

Free Radical staff were told that the studio could face closure after being evaluated as part of Embracer’s ongoing restructuring efforts, according to sources “close” to the studio speaking to Video Games Chronicle.

According to the report, the studio may remain open if they are acquired by a third party, with employees in the process of a consultation period that must last at least 30 days - as required by UK law - to try and avoid layoffs before any redundancies are made. Embracer was recently reported to be seeking a buyer for Borderlands makers Gearbox.

This iteration of Free Radical Design isn’t the same as the original studio behind the TimeSplitters franchise and other games including Second Sight and Haze, who went bankrupt in 2008 before being picked by Crytek the following year. That studio later changed hands to Deep Silver, becoming Homefront: The Revolution and Dead Island 2 devs Dambuster Studios.

Instead, Free Radical Design as they stand now emerged under Embracer in early 2021, headed up by original Free Radical founders Steve Ellis and David Doak. At the time, Free Radical announced they were working on a new TimeSplitters game, which has not been detailed further or shown since.

While Free Radical’s closure and layoffs are yet to be confirmed, VGC noted that over a dozen staff have said they are looking for work via social media within the last day. Among the staff seeking new roles are a lead game