The ongoing restructuring of Embracer Group, once a gaming giant in Europe, continues to claim victims, and this time the feared closure of a studio formed to bring back a beloved old-school FPS has been confirmed, and sadly, it won't be happening.
Studio set to revive Timesplitters closes its doors
Free Radical Design, a studio formed in 2021 to revive the past glory of Timesplitters, has reportedly closed its doors. Last November, it was reported that Lars Wingefors, CEO of Embracer, informed the studio's employees via email that their continued existence was unsustainable, leading to the termination of operations before Christmas. Today, the announcement has become a reality, and upon visiting the official Free Radical Design website, only a message saying "404 Company Not Found :-(" can be found.
Free Radical Design is the latest victim of Embracer Group
This iteration of Free Radical Design, assembled with talent from the original Timesplitters releases, aimed to bring back the beloved FPS franchise known for its fun, lighthearted approach and polished elements reminiscent of games like GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark.
According to a report from Insider-Gaming, around 80 workers from Free Radical are now left jobless. Kevin Ellis, the former quality control manager, posted a poignant message on his LinkedIn profile about the situation: "Free Radical Design was a hub of creativity, but sadly, we join an ever-growing list of victims in a broken industry where entire studios are treated as replaceable cogs in a soulless machine obsessed with nothing but stock prices. To all who lent their skills, dedication, and creativity, you are the heartbeat of Free Radical Design."
The closure of Free Radical adds to the list of other studio closures and project cancellations within Embracer Group, a conglomerate that aimed to be the European gaming giant but crumbled due to poor financial results and the failure of negotiations with a major investor from Saudi Arabia.
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