Just two years after they were resurrected under original founders
ResurrectedTimeSplittersdevelopers Free Radical Design could be the next Embracer-owned studio to be shuttered, according to recent reports. The rumoured closure comes just two years after the veteran British label wereresurrected by their original foundersto work on a new TimeSplitters game.
Free Radical staff were told that the studio could face closure after being evaluated as part of Embracer’songoing restructuring efforts, according to sources “close” to the studio speaking toVideo Games Chronicle.
According to the report, the studio may remain open if they are acquired by a third party, with employees in the process of a consultation period that must last at least 30 days - as required by UK law - to try and avoid layoffs before any redundancies are made. Embracer wasrecently reportedto be seeking a buyer forBorderlandsmakers Gearbox.
This iteration of Free Radical Design isn’t the same as the original studio behind the TimeSplitters franchise and other games including Second Sight and Haze, who went bankrupt in 2008 before being picked by Crytek the following year. That studio later changed hands to Deep Silver, becomingHomefront: The RevolutionandDead Island 2devs Dambuster Studios.
While Free Radical’s closure and layoffs are yet to be confirmed, VGC noted that over a dozen staff have said they are looking for work via social media within the last day. Among the staff seeking new roles are a lead game designer, senior artists and more.
Embracer, Plaion - the division of the megacorp responsible for Free Radical - and the studio themselves are all yet to comment on the report.
The news comes just days after Embracerconfirmed layoffs at Star Trek Online developers Cryptic Studios, following further job losses atMythForce developers Beamdog, Tomb Raider owner Crystal Dynamics, Gearbox and Pinball FX devs Zen Studios earlier in the year.
Over the summer, Embracerclosed veteran Saints Row devs Volitionand story-driven RPG studio Campfire Cabal, which had been founded less than a year earlier.
