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Crytek acquires Free Radical [update]

Free Radical's future just got a little less Haze-y (we know, sorry). We already knew that an announcement regarding the developers of the TimeSplitters series and Haze would be coming tomorrow, but we may have just skipped ahead to the ending. A single anonymous source had told us that Germany's Crytek – the developer behind the original Far Cry and Crysis – have acquired the UK-based Free Radical. While writing this very post, 1UP reported that Haze scriptwriter Rob Yescombe confirmed the very same thing. We're trying to get a comment from either party (or they can get a hold of us here!).

It's not clear what the ramifications of this are: While Battlefront 3 is rumored to be in development at either Rebellion (in the UK) or Pandemic (in LA), the latest in Free Radical's longest-running series, TimeSplitters 4, could still be on the table. Of course, Crytek would have to make a few changes ... there's got to be some way they can fit the word "cry" into the title somewhere.

[UPDATE] GamesIndustry.biz has confirmed via the administrators that the sale has gone ahead. As a result, 40 jobs have been saved. A formal announcement is expected later today, when we'll hopefully find out more details.