Back to the Future
After a 16-year break and a slew of cancelled sequels, the cult classic Playstation 2 first-person shooter series TimeSplitters will finally be returning to our screens. Following on from the announcement of Koch Media’s acquisition of the TimeSplitters IP back in 2019 and series director and co-creator Steve Ellis’ announcement of a ‘secret role’ at Koch Media, it’s now been confirmed that a new TimeSplitters title is in development.
First launching alongside the PS2 in 2000, the TimeSplitters franchise has earned widespread praise for its top-class splitscreen multiplayer and fast-paced FPS gunplay. With the return of a number of original development team Free Radical Design, including team founders Steve Ellis and David Doak, the next TimeSplitters title is sure to bring local splitscreen multiplayer back to an industry dominated by online matches.
Talking about the franchise’s future, Steve Ellis said “To finally be able to confirm that the studio has been formed and that we have a plan for the next TimeSplitters game is incredible. While we cannot tell you anything more at the moment, we look forward to sharing information in the future.”. With development scheduled to begin in the next few months, it’s likely to be quite a while before we hear any more substantial news about TimeSplitters’ future.
Free Radical Design will be reformed under Deep Silver Publishing, the game publishing division of Koch Media. Over the years Free Radical Design have seen their fair share of hardships – from 2006 to 2008 they had worked on Star Wars Battlefront 3, only for it to be cancelled by publisher LucasArts when the game was supposedly 99% complete. This drove the company into bankruptcy, leading to their acquisition by Crytek and rebranding to Crytek UK. Under this name, Free Radical Design were involved in the development of Crysis 2 and 3, as well as Homefront: The Revolution. Again, outside interference sent them spiralling into financial issues, as Crytek announced the sale of the Homefront IP to Koch Media before Homefront: The Revolution’s release. With the gang getting back together and getting back to work, it’s good to see them back on their feet again.