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TimeSplitters returns with a new game from the original developers
Free Radical Design has risen from the ashes, thanks to Deep Silver.
This is what happened to Star Wars Battlefront 3
Despite our infinite sadness that TimeSplitters 4 is not in development right now, at least we have some closure regarding developer Free Radical Design today. Steve Ellis, one of three individuals who left Rare after the completion of GoldenEye 007 on the N64 and founded Free Radical Design, has shed some light on what happened to the UK-based developer – and why we never got Star Wars Battlefront 3, even though Free Radical basically finished it in 2008."It was a big thing, we were very excited and for a long time it was going very well," Ellis told GI.biz in an interview that focuses on the rise of Free Radical and how it eventually became Crytek UK. "That was a big deal for us because it meant putting all our eggs in one basket. It was a critical decision – do we want to bet on LucasArts? And we chose to because things were going as well as they ever had. It was a project that looked like it would probably be the most successful thing we had ever done and they were asking us to make the sequel to it too. It seemed like a no-brainer." But then things got a bit rocky due to a shift in LucasArts management. Key individuals left the company and suddenly things were looking grim for Free Radical's Battlefront 3."LucasArts' opinion is that when you launch a game you have to spend big on the marketing and they're right. But at that time they were, for whatever reason, unable to commit to spending big. They effectively canned a game that was finished." As of March 2008, Free Radical had a competent working build. "It was pretty much done, it was in final QA. It had been in final QA for half of 2008, it was just being fixed for release," Ellis concluded.
Chopped up or whole: Free Radical for sale
ReSolve Partners, which is handling the administration of Free Radical's dire situation, continues its mantra that there's "stong interest" in the company from buyers. A ReSolve spokesperson told GI.biz that the chop shop company is trying to sell Free Radical whole, but will cut the piggy up if it'll bring in more cash. ReSolve expects to know in the next ten days what pieces potential suitors are interested in picking off from the studio's still-twitching remains. If ReSolve gets lucky, a company will buy the whole hog.Free Radical currently holds several IPs, including TimeSplitters, Second Sight and Haze. We're going to go out on a limb and say that corporate bargain bin shoppers are probably interested in only two of those IPs (Hint: It's not Haze).
Rumor: Free Radical shut down
For those of us who desperately need a TimeSplitters 4 game, this rumor might be a bit hard to swallow. In fact, there's a very real chance you read the headline to this post and went into a murderous rage, destroying your computer monitor and turning your rage on the closest human being. It's okay, it made us feel the same way.The source of this rumor? Well, apparently the Nottingham, England-based Free Radical studio is in a bit of financial trouble, as GI.biz reports. They say that word has it the doors are locked, phones are shut off, and the team met at a nearby hotel for a "final company meeting." We're hoping this isn't the case, because we're pretty big fans of the studio's work, so we'll update when Free Radical makes a statement.[Via Joystiq]
Free Radical closes shop [update]
The haze is lifting and numerous UK gaming outlets are reporting that Free Radical, based in Nottingham, England, has shut down. The studio has yet to confirm, but according to sources: the doors are locked, phones aren't being answered, and the staff met at a nearby hotel today for a "final company meeting."Free Radical's last project was the critical and commercial failure, Haze. TimeSplitters 4 and an unannounced project (believed to be Star Wars: Battlefront III) were currently in development at the studio. We'll update as soon as the studio makes a statement.Update: Confirmed. [Via videogaming247]
PS3 Fanboy review: Haze
Developed by Free Radical, the ex-Rare employees responsible for the excellent Timesplitters series, Haze has been a long time coming. The game has suffered from multiple delays as well as exclusivity confusion over the last year. Haze promised to deliver an immersive story, balanced multiplayer and seamless online and offline co-op play. It was also backed up by some excellent live-action trailers.Unfortunately, it becomes apparent whilst playing the game that, while the team at Free Radical may have reached for excellence, they have either fallen short or made some bad decisions with regards to the execution of many aspects of the title. Haze isn't a bad game and, despite some shortcomings, can be enjoyable and thought provoking. But is it as good as the hype suggested? Frankly, no. Read on to find out why.%Gallery-8168%
Rumor: Haze to remain PS3 exclusive
According to Ripten.com, representatives from Ubisoft at the Play.com Live event at UK's Wembley stadium are telling anyone within earshot that Haze will never see life on the Xbox 360. While there have been signs that all-out exclusivity was in the works, Ubisoft had never officially confirmed Haze would only release on the PS3. Visiting Free Radical Design's official product page for Haze adds to exclusivity confusion with the wording in the features press release, "[Haze] is now scheduled for release exclusively on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system in May 2008." Which, based on the wording, sounds like it will remain a timed-exclusive only. We're waiting for the official word from Ubisoft but color us surprised if PS3 does get the exclusivity nod based on Ubisoft's past (and public) love for the Microsoft machine, the déjà vu effect of Assassin's Creed "exclusivity," Free Radical Design's use of a pull quote from the April 2007 issue of 360 Mag [German Edition] on the Haze product page and that new video of Haze writer Rob Yascombe showing off the game in the Free Radical office with visible Xbox 360 development kits in the background of the action. Yeah ... we think we'll wait for the press release before we call this one confirmed. Developed by Free Radical Design, makers of the award-winning TimeSplitters series, Haze is a political first-person shooter that explores such subjects as corporate social responsibility and shooting dudes in the face and is set to hit stores this May.
Haze: timed exclusive, or totally exclusive?
The answer is timed, if you ask us. At Sony's conference, all the buzz for today's news, Free Radical's upcoming shooter Haze was announced as a PS3 exclusive title, qualified with the phrase "this financial year." It's pretty obvious what that means and we're going to squash the rumors of complete exclusivity now, so that it doesn't get out of control and used against the, er, "Sony camp". It's only on the PS3 until the end of March 2008. That's a long time, considering its release is coming in a matter of months. Oddly, a trailer has yet to be slapped onto the PS Store, but you can always check the one above.[Update: IGN interviewed Free Radical. "Haze will only be found on PS3 this holiday season, and will remain exclusive through the first quarter of the calendar year."]
Haze video warns us not to eat too much nectar
We're all excited about Haze, probably more so than other FPS titles to be announced lately. That means something, because there are a ton of those being announced or released, previewed, reviewed, or introduced. This new video of Haze is awfully long -- clocking in nearly 13 minutes of your weekend time, but the footage shown a few minutes in is something impressive, for sure. We won't ruin the surprise for you, but if you've seen the film Jacob's Ladder, you might giggle at the parallel between it and overdosing on Nectar. Enjoy![via PS3Attitude][Thanks, DolphGB!]
Free Radical says PS3's power locked away, demands key
Dave Doak of Free Radical Design recently was quoted talking about the trials and difficulties of a new console, specifically the PS3. You may know Free Radical Design from their latest work on the impressive-looking FPS title Haze. Doak said the experience with programming for the PS3 is the same as with any new console. It's challenging, sure, but it fades over time.He said about the PS3: "Its strengths are obviously that is has a lot of processing power. Its weaknesses are that its processing power is locked away at the moment. But everyone's going to hit that wall across all platforms at first." As technology grows more complex, he sees the process of developing growing right along with it in complexity. With the onset of multiple cores, which will no doubt grow in number, it's harder to learn how to tap into the power of the system. This, he's implying, is the problem many devs are running into with the PS3. Instead of pushing through the wall, they're giving up, saying it's too difficult. We say to them: don't give up! Keep trying and soon you'll learn the PS3 inside and out. Then we'll see some very impressive titles. Like White Knight Story. Whatever happened to that one?
