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The Embracer bloodbath of 2023 continues. This time, Free Radical Design, is at the receiving end of Embracer's closure spree. Free Radical Design, the Nottingham, UK-based development studio was working on a revival of the TimeSplitters IP. The studio's first title came in 2000 with the release of TimeSplitters for the PlayStation 2. They then went on to make two more entries in the TimeSplitters franchise and also released Haze for the PlayStation 3.
Free Radical Design shut down for the first time in 2008 after the company had gone brankrupt. The studio was reportedly working on the now cancelled Star Wars: Battlefront 3. What remained of the studio was purchased by Crytek and Free Radical eventually returned in 2009 as Crytek UK. Under Crytek UK, the studio worked on Crysis 2, Crysis 3, and Warface. They were working on Homefront: The Revolution prior to Crytek selling that IP off to Koch Media (the parent company of Deep Silver). Those remaining at Crytek UK were transferred to Dambuster Studios where they continued to work on Homefront: The Revolution. This would technically be the second time that "Free Radical" was shut down, albeit under a different name.
In 2021, Embracer Group announced that they were reforming Free Radical Design as a subsidiary of Deep Silver. The intent was to have the studio work on a new entry in the TimeSplitters franchise. Key members that worked on the original TimeSplitters titles were brought back, including creators Steve Ellis and David Doak.
Today, December 11, 2023, Embracer Group shut down Free Radical Design again. Attempts to visit the Free Radical Design website return a "404 Company Not Found :-(" message. Several employees of Free Radical Design have also posted on social media about losing their jobs today.
Free Radical Design is another in a very, very long list of closures and layoffs at the hands of parent company Embracer. Embracer announced a massive restructuring program in June 2023 after a deal worth $2 billion fell through. So far, some of the casualties from this failed deal include the closure of Volition, layoffs from Crystal Dynamics, the shuttering of New World Interactive, layoffs at Gearbox Publishing, and more.
We certainly wish the best to everyone impacted by this and all studio closures.
