Free Radical Hits Financial Skids
HazeI think we can all agree that Haze was one of the most disappointing games of 2008, and in this ultra-competitive industry that now must deal with an ailing economy, you have to be firing on all cylinders. Free Radical was not, and therefore, it seems they may be no more.
First, GamesIndustry.biz reported that the staff had been laid off and the UK-based studio's doors were now locked. Then Edge Online noted that Free Radical's financial crisis was caused by a breakdown in a deal with LucasArts; the publisher was supposed to issue some contracts in some kind of exclusivity deal, but that deal must've disintegrated. It was also reported that Haze's failure made it difficult for Free Radical to find a publisher for TimeSplitters 4, which was announced way back in October 2007. We have no idea what will become of the fourth installment in the once-popular franchise, but thanks to This is Nottingham, GameSpot has confirmed that Free Radical is indeed in dire straits. Cameron Gunn of Resolve Partners, a bankruptcy-resolution firm, has said that the developers was "placed in to administration yesterday afternoon." They will now "assess the financial position of the company," and they've asked that all the employees (except for a small skeleton crew) stay home.
Well, at least the employees were paid up through the end of the year, and there's no knowing how many of the 185 Free Radical workers will end up without a job. We'll keep you updated, but for now, we suggest not holding your breath for TimeSplitters 4.
12/18/2008 John Shepard
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Comments (25 posts)
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 10:16:53 PM
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 12/18/2008 10:17:09 PM
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eLLeJuss
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 12:03:50 AM
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QuasarSquirrel
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 10:14:56 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 10:53:29 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 10:57:16 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 11:03:41 PM
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Jove
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 4:29:56 AM
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Qubex
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 11:07:34 PM
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I kinda got into it after a few play throughs... the environments were not so badly crafted now, where they?... I did feel the motion/running of the characters felt a bit off... it was mediocre, but was it that bad that it should fail so badly?
I also feel that TimeShift was overlooked... again, the demo seemed rather good... and I think the 3D engine and effects were good from what I remember... I should have rather purchased TimeShift than Ferrari Challenge, which I feel could have been better...
Q!
"i aM hOMe"
Last edited by Qubex on 12/18/2008 11:08:45 PM
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coverton341
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 11:57:34 PM
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 12:51:23 AM
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Wage SLAVES
Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 11:34:55 PM
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SHADOW [Moderator]
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 12:22:36 AM
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Loogs
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 10:09:55 AM
Yeah, I pretty much facepalmed when I saw the news of Free Radical. I've been waiting (years it feels like) for Battlefront III since it was rumored to be Free Radical's "secret Star Wars project". Here's to hoping that Free Radical has most of the game done, and that Rebellion continues their track record of perfecting games already built I.e. revamped their original '95 Aliens vs. Predator concept from Jaguar to the amazing PC version in '99/'00 and also their excellent job with cleaning up the trash that was the '05 Battlefront II PSP port and reworking that into the awesome PSP game Battlefront: Renegade Squadron in '07. That combined with the experience of already working on a Battlefront game?! THERE IS HOPE YET!!! USE THE FORCE, REBELLION!!!
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Fabi
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 12:41:02 AM
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They should just release Timsplitters Future Perfect in HD and call it a day for the studio, if it goes down. I hope it doesn't.
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jlch777
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 12:44:52 AM
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They deserve another chance!
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s360s
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 12:55:21 AM
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Last edited by s360s on 12/19/2008 12:55:49 AM
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AntDC
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 5:48:14 AM
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Possibly the best multi-player split-screen FPS that video-gaming has to offer?
I think a part of me just died on the inside. This is really sad news. I hope Free Radical can somehow get back on its feet, though this article makes this look unlikely.
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Qubex
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 6:27:56 AM
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BTW, will online work or not?
Q!
"i aM hOMe"
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N a S a H
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 6:36:49 AM
I can't believe there's gonna be no more Timesplitters :(
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tlpn99
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 10:48:14 AM
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shaydey77
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 11:45:18 AM
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shaydey77
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 11:45:19 AM
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Last edited by shaydey77 on 12/19/2008 11:45:51 AM
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Bugzbunny109
Friday, December 19, 2008 @ 9:04:43 PM
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BikerSaint
Saturday, December 20, 2008 @ 9:33:02 PM
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If you promise to stay, I'll even throw all my antioxidants away!!!!
Last edited by BikerSaint on 12/20/2008 9:35:17 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
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Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 10:12:12 PM