Free Radical Design closes doors

By Games Industry.biz Published 18 December, 2008

Battlefront moving to Rebellion?

Independent UK studio Free Radical Design closed its doors this morning, our sister site GamesIndustry.biz reports, with multiple sources claiming that staff, including senior executives, have already left the company.

It is also believed that the unnamed project for LucasArts - announced back in 2006 and thought to be Star Wars Battlefront III - has been shipped off to Rebellion, the developer behind PSP hit Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.

One source claims staff turned up to work today to find doors locked, and instructions to meet at a nearby hotel for a final company meeting.

Last month, when contacted by GamesIndustry.biz, director Steve Ellis denied there were any changes at the company.

"Nothing unusual is happening here. Projects end. New projects start. That's how things have worked for nearly 10 years," he said then.

TimeSplitters 4 and the unnamed project were both still in development said Ellis, as were "other unannounced projects, which are in the process of being signed."

Days later, when more industry chatter questioned the future of the Nottingham studio, Ellis said that "we certainly won't be laying off any staff today. Or, for that matter, any time in 2008."

"If something happens in 2009 I'm sure we'll be prepared to comment - but from where I'm sitting, whatever happens is far more likely to be positive than negative," he added.

Calls to senior staff at Free Radical Design by GamesIndustry.biz yesterday and today have not been returned.

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Comments (127) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • jambolio #1 3 years ago

    Oh Noes! I was looking forward to a new Time Splitters, it ruled my late teen gaming life.

  • PearOfAnguish #2 3 years ago

    Rebellion doing BF3? Oh dear.

  • BiscuitBase #3 3 years ago

    MEGAOWCH

    Sorry

  • myiagros #4 3 years ago

    Massive bummer!!

    I was really looking forward to TimeSplitters 4.

    I really hope things work out for these guys as they have put out 3 really great games in recent years (TS2, TS3 & Second Sight).

    I very much doubt this will be the last if the independant developers in this country to disappear over the next few months.

  • dadrester #5 3 years ago

    :(

    always shit when a studio closes. hope there's a phoenix studio soon.

  • phatb0y #6 3 years ago

    Nasty. Just a shame Haze ended up as their swan song.

    Heres hoping they all land on their feet sooner rather than later.

  • el_pollo_diablo #7 3 years ago

    Good luck to everyone who worked there. You made excellent games, and for that, thank you.

    What a horrible thing to happen just before xmas.

  • krudster #8 3 years ago

    Terrible news, but hardly a shock after the dismal Haze.

    They'll all be back, I hope. Good luck chaps. TimeSplitters 1 and 2 remain two of my most cherished games of the decade.

  • schnide #9 3 years ago

    I never did care much for Timesplitters, but that's a shame. Sorry to hear that guys.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #10 3 years ago

    Bad time for this to happen - hope everyone involved who worked hard and enjoyed their work got out ok and that any scumbucket, money sucking types (every company has them) lost everything.

  • DoctorZoidberg #11 3 years ago

    EA to swoop in and save TimeSplitters 4 from the rubbish tip?

  • Dr_Wadd #12 3 years ago

    Man, that sucks, was very much looking forward to another Timesplitters title.

  • degville #13 3 years ago

    haze may of been rubbish but it sold pretty well considering

  • rascoj64 #14 3 years ago

    What they should do is get Activision to set up a studio and get the ex free rad staff to do a decent bond game! Hope it works out ok for everyone who lost their jobs, good luck!

  • dr_faulk #15 3 years ago

    iTz teh Rec3sShionz!

    In fairness... they didn't put out a great deal in the last while. Shame.

  • bad09 #16 3 years ago

    Rebellion doing BF3 now?

    That doesn't fill me with confidence, the PSP ones were a joke. Hopefully they can handle a "proper" version a bit better (FR's work wasn't to great anyway what I've heard on the net).

    As for FR it is a shame and REAL sh***y just before Xmas, but Krudster read my mind. I don't think anyone is really that surprised after Haze.

    Hope it works out OK for everyone who lost their jobs.

  • DanWhitehead #17 3 years ago

    I've said it before and I'll say it again - TimeSplitters 2 was better than Halo.

  • Les #18 3 years ago

    "One source claims staff turned up to work today to find doors locked, and instructions to meet at a nearby hotel for a final company meeting."

    Strange way to treat people. It's not like management didn't know this was going to happen for at least a little while.

    Guess they gambled on Haze and lost. Might have been better to stick with what they'd done before: Cartoon shoorters. I only played the demo but the cinematics in Haze were bloody awful (really can't believe that passed QA), they were definitely incapable of striking a more serious tone.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/08 @ 13:34

  • GamesConnoisseur #19 3 years ago

    Its offical PS3's Haze is the nail in the coffin of independent Brit devs, that we all held dear for producing the fondly remembered TimeSplitter series.

    Like others here, I m hoping these talents dating back to Goldeneye would get reused whether through new company or merged with existing ones, let hope the lessons from Haze fiasco is learnt. Adaption to the new generation of console can be tough just look at fabled Core for Tomb Raider moving from PS1 to PS2's Angel of Darkness!!

    Sad day.

  • penhalion #20 3 years ago

    @degville

    Haze didn't make any money. It would have in no way recouped it's development costs and Sony wouldn't have even considered comissioning a sequel. This means that free radical effectively killed themselves when they decided to release such an obviously sub-standard FPS.

    I think we all hoped that they would have enough resource left to finish Timesplitters (an obvious seller if done right) and get back to making the fun quirky games we all loved. Sadly, in this economic climate, I suspect the banks wouldn't have been willing to provide any working capital to keep them going without assurances of release dates etc. etc.

  • Kenshin001 #21 3 years ago

    As much as it is a sad thing Haze was a stinker and this is a consequence of that. If developers want to survive they have to release quality games, or if they are going to release tripe at least make it multiplat. I read recently that Factor 5 are having troubles also.

  • Eraysor #22 3 years ago

    Bugger, Timesplitters was great back in the day. I guess Haze's crapness killed them.

  • Oh-Bollox #23 3 years ago

    TimeSplitters 2 was better than Halo

    Their best game.

  • Kaspar #24 3 years ago

    @Penhalion

    Haze wasn't First Party - it was published by Ubisoft. Although the mistake is understandable, since they seemed to give the game no support at all, and left the developer to more or less try publicise it themselves at release point. hence the toe-curling stuff like that Frag Dolls Blind Date thing, with the talentless buffoon that is Rob Yescombe.

    I suspect Ubi knew it was a write-off, and were trying to minimise their losses on it even before it was released.
    Edited by 2 at 18/12/08 @ 13:45

  • Darren #25 3 years ago

    After the crushing mediocrity of Haze, one of the most underwhelming games I've played this year, it doesn't surprise me that Free Radical have folded.

    Personally, I've never particularly rated their games despite the fact that many of the developers came from the Rare team that made the classic GoldenEye on the N64. The TimeSplitters games weren't too bad but in my eyes they were overrated, and both Second Sight and Haze were bitter disappointments.

  • dadrester #26 3 years ago

    second sight wasn't bad either

  • Darren #27 3 years ago

    Second Sight was average and bland IMO, especially compared the much better Psi-Ops which was released at the same time.

    After Haze, I was ten times less excited about TimeSplitters 4...

  • Toothball #28 3 years ago

    Hmm, my sister works at Rebellion.

  • Dizzy #29 3 years ago

    I feel bad for the guys... but to be brutally honest I was never impressed with any of their games.

  • Thunderbolt #30 3 years ago

    DanWhitehead

    'I've said it before and I'll say it again - TimeSplitters 2 was better than Halo.'

    Come on you are just baiting now!

    TimeSplitters 2 came free with my X-Box console bundle, played it and it was meh! Sorry I just don't get why people admire its so much.

    Theres a reason why Halo shifts the units and not Timesplitters (whisper, whisper... because its infinitely better)

    I never played Second Sight it looked quite good but I had already played Psi-Ops which was a similar game which unfortunately came out at the same time.

    Sorry to hear about the closing of this studio and best of luck to all the employees.

  • kangarootoo #31 3 years ago

    Second Sight had a great back story, but Psi-ops had the tighter gameplay.

  • LockeTribal #32 3 years ago

    Sad day for gaming in Europe :(

    Created possibly the best FPS of last gen in TimeSplitters 2, so they will be sorely missed.

  • kangarootoo #33 3 years ago

    Second Sight had a great back story, but Psi-ops had the tighter gameplay.

  • RobotRocker #34 3 years ago

    Guys, you are forgeting the single greatest contribution Free Radical has ever made to gaming. The Anaconda theme.

    [link url=http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=sSkgdBGRvOw
    ]http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=sSkgdBGRvOw
    [/link]

  • des #35 3 years ago

    :(

  • MrChuckles #36 3 years ago

    I know companies where this has happened before and the staff are NEVER let into the office again to collect their belongings. I know people who lost whole music collections, games, headphones, limited edition figures...

    And then it all gets auctioned off to make money to give to the people the company owes money to (apart from the employees)...which is nice...

  • el_pollo_diablo #37 3 years ago

    There's something very rotten in the games industry if all it takes to sink a company is one poorly selling game.

  • smernicki #38 3 years ago

    not fair!!!!!!!!!!! i want battlefront 3

  • UKGN_Zoidberg #39 3 years ago

    I loved all the TimeSplitters series, was really looking forward to a 4th one. I was also secretly holding out for some kind of sequel to Second Sight.

    Here's hoping that Rebellion hire some of the staff that were already working on Battlefront III, that way it could turn out to be more than average.

    One day people will wake up and realise that Halo sucks balls. Stick it alongside Haze, and you'll realise that they're both essentially the same game which is why Microsoft weren't bothered about it being a PS3 exclusive.

  • The-Bodybuilder #40 3 years ago

    All this crap I keep hearing about how great and solid the gaming industry is, I'm guessing it only applied to the omni-publishers and shaerholders.

  • stepneg #41 3 years ago

    "One day people will wake up and realise that Halo sucks balls. Stick it alongside Haze, and you'll realise that they're both essentially the same game which is why Microsoft weren't bothered about it being a PS3 exclusive."

    LOL, post of the month!

  • Cid #42 3 years ago

    TimeSplitters is immense.

    Shit, shit news.

  • kangarootoo #43 3 years ago

    @UKGN_Zoidberg

    Halo has its flaws, but Haze was bloody AWFUL. Seriously.

    Why even take the time to write a post that will immediately be dismissed as fanboy nonsense by every single person that reads it? Seriously, what did you think you were achieving with those spent seconds?

  • el_pollo_diablo #44 3 years ago

    Note to self:
    Next time you see a banker, remember to punch them in the face for trashing the economy purely as a result of greed. Then eat cake and tea.

  • tomacwhite #45 3 years ago

    I know at least one guy who was at SEGA Racing Studio (with me) and got made redun, and he went to Free Rad. Now he's redun again. Poor dude.

    Such a shitty time of year to lose your job. I hope they all find something soon...

  • eddiep #46 3 years ago

    Second Sight was average gameplay-wise, saved by an interesting (by game standards...) story.

    Haze was sub-standard and had no redeeming qualities (average graphics, weak story, cliched gameplay, broken level design); what's more, the constant flood of hyperbolas coming out from their PR department (or was that their producer? I'm too lazy to check) was nauseating.

    It's never good to see studios closing, but it was only natural for this to happen. TimeSplitters's series quality was declining (and so were the sales...) and Haze effectively killed them.
    RIP.

  • peasoup #47 3 years ago

    A sad day indeed, my thoughts with the staff.

  • konniehuqfan #48 3 years ago

    always sad news when people get laid off.

    timesplitters was the first game i played on my ps2.

  • UKGN_Zoidberg #49 3 years ago

    I'm no fanboy. I own every console of the last generation and this.

    Let's look at the evidence:

    1. Hero with face covered by visor making his identity your own. Check.
    2. Vehilce sections to traverse large distances. Check.
    3. Rubbish opening level. Check.
    4. The same group of enemies repeated every five minutes with the same attack pattern. Check.
    5. Four letter title starting with "Ha". Check.

    Apart from the excellent vehicle handling and the regenerating shield, there's nothing about Halo that makes it worth recommending.

  • el_pollo_diablo #50 3 years ago

    Shut up about Halo. This thread isn't really the time or the place!

  • mrmonkey1980 #51 3 years ago

    Thunderbolt said: ''Theres a reason why Halo shifts the units and not Timesplitters (whisper, whisper... because its infinitely better) ''

    The only reasons Halo shifts so many units is because it has the almightly backing of Microsoft's millions and it is decidedly average in every way. By not unsettling any boats and appealing to the vast majority with its bland hero, bland predictable and cliched story and gameplay it sells a lot. That doesn't make it a better game. (I got bored of Halo before i even finished the campaign where as I'm still playing Timesplitters 2 five years later)

    The Timesplitters series took a risk. They were full of originality, humour and a quirky style that wasn't to the taste of some but those who liked it really loved it. A continuation of the series will be sorely missed as the game industry takes another step towards tedious mediocrity. I would gladly suffer a million rubbish games to have a few diamonds like Timesplitters rather than have a million games that were just OK and so I mourn the loss of Free Radical; those guys were great.

  • barnard666 #52 3 years ago

    Indeed, its a sad day...I guessed they were in trouble, but assumed they could sell all the rights to the TS franchise to at least keep them afloat for a bit. There ar a few other companies I would have expected to go first...

    Perhaps they shut the company, and retained the rights to the TS series, so the directors could sell it and live out the next few years in luxury....

    Jesus, I dont think anyone in the games industry can feel particularly sae right now :(

  • kangarootoo #53 3 years ago

    "Hero with face covered by visor making his identity your own. Check."
    "Four letter title starting with "Ha". Check."

    Clearly you are mental, and here ends the discussion.

  • Andee #54 3 years ago

    A very sad day. Hopefully Timespliters 4 can be saved somehow. Bar Goldeneye, they were the greatest fps games ever made.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/08 @ 15:06

  • neonemesis #55 3 years ago

    This is really sad. Loved TS2 and (even though most people said otherwise) loved TS: FP even more. Coincidentally, I have been playing a lot of both TS2 and FP recently and was eagerly anticipating 4.

    I hope someone picks up Timesplitters but only if they pick up the Free Radical guys too because we all know a TS4 would be shit if made by some other dev team, intent on making the series realistic and utterly destroying the quirky charm of the bizarre characters.

    Sorry, bit dramatic there but this is crushing news for a TS fan...

  • kangarootoo #56 3 years ago

    "I would gladly suffer a million rubbish games to have a few diamonds like Timesplitters"

    Well you might, but the rest of the gaming population wouldn't and the development business itself certainly can't afford to.

    Free Radical made some good games in the past, and its a real shame they have gone under if only for the sake of the employees. But the quality of their work had been slipping for a while, they seemingly hadn't made anything of note in aons and then their latest expensive platform exclusive turned out to be an appalling effort in more ways than one (and from a company with a history of decent FPS games).

    Maybe if we and they tried to find out WHY they hadn't done anything top class for years and WHY Haze eventually turned out so terribly, instead of hero worshipping their past successes like some kind of religous cult, we might actually get more of the diamonds that all of us would prefer to have a bit more regularly than one in every million.

  • stepneg #57 3 years ago

    "The only reasons Halo shifts so many units is because it has the almightly backing of Microsoft's millions and it is decidedly average in every way."

    If only FRD had millions in the bank they could have used it to brain wash us all into thinking Haze was actually a good game just like MS have done with Halo...

  • speedjack #58 3 years ago

    Shame. Hope they all get jobs soon.

  • BillyBrush #59 3 years ago

    Backed the wrong horse quite spectacularly.....their rise coincided nicely with the bohemoth PS2, and their fall with the slow install base of PS3

    not flaming (really) but i think that has more than a little to do with their demise....Haze isn't that bad tbh, picked the wrong platform....hate to say it but EA showed them the way and they didn't see the light of multiplat doller

  • mrmonkey1980 #60 3 years ago

    Free Radical's problem was that they were trying to do something they aren't very good at (mainstream boring stuff) so they could get better backing to make the stuff they are good at (quirky original games). This can be seen with TS3 where they got EA's backing to reach a wider audience and with Haze which tried to be more mainstream so the company name would be known by more gamers. Unfortunately it back fired. I don't hero worship I just mourn the loss of any spark of originality in the entertainment industry because I'm not satisfied by all the games, TV shows and films that cater for the dumbest percentile. If it continues the audience gets dumber and the games get worse.

  • Xerx3s #61 3 years ago

    List of complete mongs:
    Oh-Bollox
    UKGN_Zoidberg
    stepneg

    Tjesus christ, people lost their jobs here and all you can rave on about is your petty hate for halo? Get some fucking perspective you bunch of tits.

  • kangarootoo #62 3 years ago

    I don't think it is that straight forward. Lack of originality was far from Haze's only problem. Some of the technology and gameplay mechanics were just down right bad. Poor quality like that has little to do with whether you have an original concept and everything to do with the implementation the ideas. In the case of Haze, both areas were unfortunately below par.


    And can people stop rattling on about Halo. It didn't sell purely because of some money fuelled ad war. It sold because a lot of people genuinely liked the experience. Accusations of conspiracy and marketing tricks are what stupid people refer to when they can't think of anything else to say. Everybody who says Halo sold purely because of MS marketing money is just making themselves look stupid. If that makes them happy, all power to their stupid selves.

  • Calgon #63 3 years ago

    Oh shut up Timesplitters was only hyped by those who didnt like Xbox... those who had an Xbox(and wasnt a stealth hater of MS) could play both so there was no reason to pretend Timesplitters 2 was some sort of defining FPS game of the generation... because it wasnt, there was nothing new or different or all that unique about it, it was just a well made traditional FPS(so yeah it was good theres no need to bash either game really). Im not even a big fan of Halo either but theres no denying it was the defining console FPS of the generation.

    Shame to see this happen to another brittish(IIRC) dev house, at a time like this too, good luck to the people who've just lost their jobs on this.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/08 @ 15:26

  • Bartacus #64 3 years ago

    So sad that Haze was thier swansong after so much greatness. Hope that the better guys can go back to Rare & fix up a new version of Perfect dark.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/08 @ 15:24

  • niteninja #65 3 years ago

    This has very little to do with how shit haze was,this is studio heads pulling out of the games business and taking the finances with them.
    Sad day for all indeed.
    They wont be the last studio shutting its doors either,this looks like the games industry will not survive the cerdit crunch.

  • Super_Zee #66 3 years ago

    Horribly sad. TimeSplitters 2 is one of my best games and I was really looking forward to TS4.

    Hopefully the good ex-staff (I'm talking to you, Neko) will regroup, Platinum style, and carry on making games. Gaming is a worse place without them.

  • Perfecto #67 3 years ago

    Real shame, I really feel for the guys who worked there, hope they all move on to better things. Lets hope Timesplitters finds a respectable home too, Fingers crossed.

  • stepneg #68 3 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    People are losing their jobs all over the place at the moment and most probably don't command large pay packets that the developers at FRD did to turn out shit like Haze.

  • mrmonkey1980 #69 3 years ago

    Last word: Don't make assumptions, I had an xbox from the beginning and I am still a TS fan because it's genuinely a good game, not because 'I cant play halo'. Halo only saved the xbox because it wasn't totally bad. It's just incredibly average. Anyway, that's enough; sorry guys at Free Radical. Hope you manage to pursue your projects elsewhere.

  • Les #70 3 years ago

    "All this crap I keep hearing about how great and solid the gaming industry is, I'm guessing it only applied to the omni-publishers and shaerholders."

    No, it's just crap. The only ones really performing great financially are Nintendo. EA, Take-Two and Atari aren't doing that great (Take-Two made it's first small profit in ages thanks to the massive selling GTA 4, until the next one arrives they'll probably be bleeding money again). I expect WoW to keep Activision-Blizzard afloat but for overall it's just pretty bad. The costs grow faster than the revenues, so despite each year reporting a bigger industry revenue-wise, cash-wise the picture isn't that nice.

  • Xerx3s #71 3 years ago

    Not the point; you want to sprout your halo hate, you make a thread on the forum, this really isn't the place.

  • Killerbee #72 3 years ago

    Gutted.

    Timesplitters 2 is quite probably my favourite console shooter ever - it's such a shame Haze ended being a failure - I'm surprised it was enough to take the company down with it though. I'd have thought Timesplitters 4 and the Star Wars game might have carried them through...

  • kinky_mong #73 3 years ago

    Bad news. I was hoping for a new Timesplitters because the second one was my favourite FPS of that generation. I felt EA's interference ruined Future Perfect for me, and Second Sight was pretty underwhelming despite it's potential though.

    However I wonder if the people who left Rare to create Free Radical burnt their bridges when they left? I'd argue that the time when Rare lost their magic coincides with their departure, and if they were to return we could see a return to form for Rare.

  • niteninja #74 3 years ago

    Even EA are having money problems,they just closed a studio and their share prices took a massive whack.
    Anyone can go bust no matter how big or small.

  • HiddenPooh #75 3 years ago

    That is bollocks. Perhaps is some oof the idiots on here who trashed talked Haze without ever playing it had shut up things might have turned out a little different.

  • kangarootoo #76 3 years ago

    "Halo only saved the xbox because it wasn't totally bad. It's just incredibly average."

    YAAAAAAWWWWNNNNN

    What is wrong with you? Its like a form of OCD or something.

  • kangarootoo #77 3 years ago

    "That is bollocks. Perhaps is some oof the idiots on here who trashed talked Haze without ever playing it had shut up things might have turned out a little different."

    How would that work exactly? If Haze had actually been good you might have a point... but it wasn't.

  • HiddenPooh #78 3 years ago

    Haze was miles better than most of the stuff you read about it would suggest. For one thing, I thought it had an excellent story - something which is sorely missing from some more high profile shooters.

  • Michformer #79 3 years ago

    Why? WHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?
    I loved you! Why can you do such tragic thing?!?!?!?!
    'sobs'
    At least you're still doing TS4...
    Timesplitters 3 will always be the greatest game of all time!!!!!!!

  • stepneg #80 3 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    "Not the point; you want to sprout your halo hate, you make a thread on the forum, this really isn't the place."

    What is the point then, you would prefer if everyone cried FRD a river and said bad luck chaps even though they haven't made a decent game in years? Also if your going to call somebody a mong for something at least make sure you have your facts right, I quite like Halo, not the best game ever but not one I would slag off.

  • niteninja #81 3 years ago

    Free Radical didnt go under because haze failed,they went under because we are entering a global financial crisis.
    Next year you will see big studios crash the games industry is coming to an end.
    Same as car manufacturer's and high street retailers.

  • Xerx3s #82 3 years ago

    Why even bring it up? Completely unrelated and stupid.

  • kangarootoo #83 3 years ago

    "Haze was miles better than most of the stuff you read about it would suggest"

    Well I guess this just comes down to taste. I played it myself and thought most of the reviews were spot on in their negative critque.

    I must admit I didn't finish it, so the story may have developed further. As far as I had seen seemed pretty generic though, and I'd be surprised if anything unexpected happened further down the road.



    "Free Radical didnt go under because haze failed,they went under because we are entering a global financial crisis."
    Perhaps it was both.

    "Next year you will see big studios crash the games industry is coming to an end.
    Same as car manufacturer's and high street retailers. "

    'Coming to an end' is a bit strong. The games industry certainly isn't coming to an end, just like the high street shop industry isn't coming to an end. The UK's car production industry has been on its death bed for over a decade now, and isn't really related to events of the last year or two.

  • penhalion #84 3 years ago

    @niteninja

    The games industry is most certainly not coming to an end. That is like saying the movie industry is coming to an end. No idea what you have against games but, you would have to be seriously blind to actually believe what you are saying.

    The reality is that a lot of games companies are only now realising that their costs are out of control. Just looking at the Indie scene, it is obvious that the huge budgets being spent by the likes of EA and Microsoft have very little to do with the quality of the end result. I expect a lot of over paid games designers will feel the brunt of the industries new found financial awareness.

  • onyxbox #85 3 years ago

    I though Haze had it's moments (good ones) but I wished they'd made a new Timespltters instead.

    Miserable news, and just before Christmas too.

    :-/

  • Rodriguez #86 3 years ago

    Nooooooooooooooooo!!! Timesplitters games are some of my favourite games ever, superb offline multiplayer with friends!! Though more importantly I feel very sorry for the staff of Free Radical Design, couldn't think of a worse time to have to lose your job just before Christmas, hope they find work soon, as aside from Haze their games were excellent. If only they'd concentrated on Timesplitters 4 first, and made it multi-format, it might have kept them financially secure into next year :(

  • stepneg #87 3 years ago

    @Xerx3s

    "Why even bring it up? Completely unrelated and stupid."

    I didn't, I was replying to someone else's post where Halo was mentioned, are we done now as this little question and answer session is detracting from the fact that people have lost their jobs.

  • kangarootoo #88 3 years ago

    Oh who cares whose fault it is. Lets just stop talking about Halo completely. See it as a little challenge. Talking about Halo in this thread is now officially code for admitting you like fiddling with animals in the zoo.

    Starting now.

  • Bartacus #89 3 years ago

    Things are looking bad for the next 3-4 years. I doubt if many more big budget games will be started during this depression.

  • quantumsheep #90 3 years ago

    Halo Rocks!




    Damn! :(

  • kangarootoo #91 3 years ago

    @Bartacus

    I'm not sure. Dev companies have to keep making product or they have no revenue stream. I would expect that all of them will (should be) trying to reduce their costs (and risks) and increase their efficiency as much as possible.

    Some of the big studios out there NEED to keep making big titles just to pay the lrent on their offices. Spending big money isn't the problem, if its spent in the name of making equally big profits. But wasting it is :)

  • Oh-Bollox #92 3 years ago

    Fuck off, Xerx3s. I said TS2 was their best game, that's all. Fuckstain.

  • DoctorZoidberg #93 3 years ago

    sad news. I was a massive fan of their work. Not being a PS3 owner, I can't comment on Haze.

    People may think there games were a bit rubbish(I certainly didn't!). But one more studio lost is one or two potentially great games were all (possibly) missing out on. Bad news for everyone!


  • niteninja #94 3 years ago

    Think about it the games industry crashed in the early 80s,its slowly going that way again.
    The peak has passed and its a slippery slope down from now on in.
    Even massive games like resident evil 5 wont save the industry.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/08 @ 17:04

  • Dr_Spankenstein #95 3 years ago

    People will always remember you for your mistakes. Haze was such a huge mistake that it got them closed down.

    Timesplitters was truly awesome though, I just hope a few people will remember them for that game alone.

  • kiroquai #96 3 years ago

    It's a sad thing indeed, and at a terrible time (as if there were a good time to lose your job). Hope all involved can find places elsewhere quickly.

    As for the whole Haze thing, I'm not a subscriber to that being their death knell at all. Plenty of factors go into making games, and just because a company releases one that's not as good as others it doesn't necessarily mean the people behind that game aren't as talented or hard-working as other folks. Influences - often from outside - come to bear and can make things difficult.

    Not that I am saying that Haze was fun for me, but merely to say that Free Radical had a good history behind them, and one missed step wouldn't have done them in. Any developer closing is bad for the industry in my opinion, as I'd happily take Haze over no game at all.

  • el_pollo_diablo #97 3 years ago

    I think we can draw one single conclusion from all of this, and that is the fact that if you are a banker or a trader reading this, know that this and everything else at the moment is all your fault, and you should probably kill yourself for the greater good of humanity.

  • ChadSexington #98 3 years ago

    At least they'll be able to go back to Rare.

  • kangarootoo #99 3 years ago

    "lenty of factors go into making games, and just because a company releases one that's not as good as others it doesn't necessarily mean the people behind that game aren't as talented or hard-working as other folks"

    I completely agree with that, but it doesn't mean it won't cut off your future investment. There are (were) no doubt plenty of skilled people at FR, but Haze was a costly mistake (whatever the reasons it happened) and I can't imagine getting in new money was made any easier by that.

  • kangarootoo #100 3 years ago

    "lenty of factors go into making games, and just because a company releases one that's not as good as others it doesn't necessarily mean the people behind that game aren't as talented or hard-working as other folks"

    I completely agree with that, but it doesn't mean it won't cut off your future investment. There are (were) no doubt plenty of skilled people at FR, but Haze was a costly mistake (whatever the reasons it happened) and I can't imagine getting in new money was made any easier by that.

  • Gargant #101 3 years ago

    jesus! similar happened to me.
    Got told that the company was gatting shut down and moved to Iceland to give them more jobs.

  • junebug7556 #102 3 years ago

    Think about it the games industry crashed in the early 80s,its slowly going that way again.

    The games industry certainly contracted during this period (words I know) - but the period of contraction got rid of a lot of chaff and left the super efficient at the core. I think we are seeing something similar - that is, the industry is contracting and unless you have triple A IP then you may well be part of the chaff. I.e. FRD

    The only difference this time is the cost of developing a game - in the eighties, at most 25K - help me someone? - now you are looking at millions for the major games - RE5, Halo 3, GTA IV etc - in this economic climate that cannot last. Konami are already talking about bringing MGS4 to XBOX360 to get back some development costs. We may be seeing a period of safe - middle of the road development for the next couple of years with the only original IP coming from independent devs, distributed via STEAM, XBL.

    In any case the industry is contracting in number of standard dev houses.

  • Cyclone #103 3 years ago

    A damn shame. Second Sight and Time Splitters were brilliant games.

  • Gaol #104 3 years ago

    I picked up Haze recently for a tenner. It's actually decent fun in places, they never forgot how to program tight controls and the soundtrack was decent. Unfortunately, the critics were right about most of the rest :(

    I still remember playing Timesplitters on the PS2, it was the first decent shooter and had lots of cool challenge modes. Timeplitters 2 was my favourite Gamecube shooter.

    Anyway, sadly I don't think we've hit the worst of this recession, I think Q1 2009 is gonna bite hard. Good luck to all the staff laid off.

  • ravnaz #105 3 years ago

    http://ne ws.spong.com/article/16788/Free...

  • Buckshot #106 3 years ago

    Spong don't know shit.

    Free Radical is being kept open with a skeleton staff of 20-30 people to make it easier for the administrators to sell their assets. The vast majority of staff (85%) lost their jobs. For all intents and purposes, Free Radical has ceased top be a functioning game developer.

  • ThreeOutsideDown #107 3 years ago

    thank fuck i got out of the games industry when i did in 2001.

    it was clear to me back then that the industry would split into cheap and cheerful casual titles and mega budget blockbusters.

    it was obvious there would be no middle ground.

    for the smaller devs, the choice was simple, get out or starting turning out casual stuff.

    smaller developers don't have the time or resources to compete with the mega budget block busters. so they have to gamble that their own technology and brands can remain huge sellers when compared to the block buster titles with mega budgets.

    with the smaller developers being highly dependent on publisher's milestone payments (without the luxury of large royalty checks rolling in from past titles) they are at the mercy of their publisher and pretty much living a hand to mouth existence.

    if the publisher turns sour on them for whatever reason, the industry is so risk adverse that it would be impossible to find replacement project in the time before the next round of bills and wages arrive. it can easily take 6 months or more just to negotiate contracts even with a working prototype demo to show to puiblishers. if the developer has decently skilled staff, they're probably easily on 30k-40k/year per person, those outgoings can and do mount up very quickly.

    so for smaller developers with just one title in development, they really are walking on a high wire with no safety net. one foot wrong and it's all over for good.

    i wish the ex-staff of free radical all the best in their current and future endeavours.

  • BonzoBanana #108 3 years ago

    I sort of knew (or close to it) that they would go under after releasing Haze. I'm not a game developer but when you see a game and straight away you can see real game design problems and major irritations you wonder how competent a company is. Their game engine was weak and they obviously hadn't achieved much with the ps3 hardware compared to other developers. I loved Timesplitters 2 and enjoyed future perfect. They had a quirky charm that added to the gameplay immensively. I shall probably fire up timesplitters 2 over the christmas break and raise a glass to the people at free radical. At least they achieved something in their live with timesplitters 2 and 3. Haze was soo totally uninspired its shocking. I've yet to play the full game as I'm waiting for it to reach £4.99 before buying. I missed out on the comet deal at that price.

    Free Radical people remember your strengths, humour, quirky and interesting level design and ideas. You should have looked at timesplitters 2 and improved on what was right about that instead of throwing it all out of the window and doing some irritating, poorly programmed halo wannabe.

  • lockload #109 3 years ago

    Well they did release their last game as a ps3 exclusive spending most of the time battling technical issues instead of making a good game..

  • The-Bodybuilder #110 3 years ago

    If making dissapointing games made you go bust, SEGA would've dissappeared as soon as they went multi-platform.

  • GamesConnoisseur #111 3 years ago

    Whilst we all already know is the most expensive in term of resources needed to complete the title ready for the market, I actually think the single stinker title which missed the needed sale target by a big way is going to be enough to send that Dev under.

    Even if owned by a big publisher umbrella thingy, look at Ensemble Studio, they were not protected by being more costly and cost/profit ratio DOESNT justify to the execs to keep them going.

    Haze SUNK Free Radical but it alone is not the reason, I think Haze shown up some of generational transititional issue which would have been pretty much forgiveable if released during the first quarter after launch rather than stand on its feet against the better products.

    Also marketing wasnt good, with unknown franchise going against the stronger stallions, I was appealed due to the backstory and the premise of the drug addiction and necessary use balance and was damn well disappointed that it wasnt well used.

    However I support the sentiment that its not the time to use this to support our agenda with regards to consolewarz, but questions needs to be answered as to why they fallen under as they did.

  • Golgo #112 3 years ago

    Sad news. Thanks guys...Timesplitters series were the defining multiplayer games of PS2. Loved them.
    It's such a shame we can't look forward to Timesplitters 4 anytime soon...

  • Les #113 3 years ago

    "Some of the big studios out there NEED to keep making big titles just to pay the lrent on their offices."

    If you mean that if you're a big studio you need to create a title that sells a shit load just to recoup cost, than you're right. The question is however whether the old model of creating games which are for 99% focused on graphics, will be economically viable in the long run. Development cost have exploded and they're not offset by a bigger rise in revenue. And then there's a machine released that doesn't require astronomical investments in game assets and has the biggest installed base of the current gen consoles. You'd be awfully stupid (the tunnel vision effect should have been gone by now) to invest most or your best resources in the projects that are the least likely to generate a positive return.

    "Spending big money isn't the problem, if its spent in the name of making equally big profits."

    If the profits you make are equally big, you break even. That's not that great of a return (0% or less, depending on the timing of the cash flows). :p

  • Vermillion3000 #114 3 years ago

    Sorry to hear that, FR folks.
    Hope the new year brings better news for you all.

  • Chufty #115 3 years ago

    It's a crying shame. I hope the developers continue to work in the UK games industry, because it's one of the few industries Britain can be proud of. And Free Radical had some of the best in the business.

  • ManicDrunkMonk #116 3 years ago

    So long guys... and thanks for all the fish!

    Hope you all get jobs at the new arty-farty EA!

  • stevetuck #117 3 years ago

    Dr Doak I LOVE YOU MAN!

  • a8a #118 3 years ago

    Ok, a number of points:

    1) It's very sad to hear of any company going bust in the industry tbh - and nobody wants to see companies of their pedigree go down, regardless of whether or not it was inevitable.

    2) Off-topic as it may be, or tangentially related to the topic, we dont really need grieving widows in here crying "For God's sake, these people now HAVE NO JOBS!". A comments thread like this is always going to contain some mourning, but it doesn't need to be its sole purpose.

    3) That said, I'm pretty tired - as I'm sure many people are - of fanboys turning everything into a battleground. Some people liked Halo, some people liked Timesplitters - maybe there were even a few who liked Haze. Personally, I prefer mouse and keyboard for my FPS games. This is a point of view. You might not share it. That's fine too. This thread is about 70% knee-jerking.

    4) The games industry is unlikely to collapse alongside others based on a global economic downturn. More expensive forms of recreation such as holidays will probably take a downturn, but many theories suggest that it will affect the games industry very little, and people may even turn to cheaper passtimes such as gaming in lieu of more expensive options.

    Meh, I want to say more about the futility of aligning your loyalty to one particular faceless corporation or another, but I'm preaching to a mix of converted, and people shouting so loudly they can only hear the sound of their own voice. My loyalty lies with the games.

  • Weezer #119 3 years ago

    One bad business decision and it's game over. Look at Pivotal - they only really made one bad game and it took the company down.

    And as for FR coders going back to Rare... I'm not sure that company is entirely on safe ground at the moment.

  • kangarootoo #120 3 years ago

    @Les

    All very true. On the subject of heavy investment in graphical prowess, its a tough cycle for any dev to break 'cos we the gamers keep demanding everything in the same basket. We want the original ideas AND the tight gameplay AND the awesome graphics... and we want a shop price that isn't too high and development time that is short.

    Some devs are finding ways to make games in half the time for half the money, that still turn out well and sell in high numbers, but its not easy. Some devs just aren't set up that way, and if they suddenly started trying to make Cooking Mama et al they would probably end up throwing away their money.

    "You'd be awfully stupid (the tunnel vision effect should have been gone by now) to invest most or your best resources in the projects that are the least likely to generate a positive return."

    Man, sometimes I wonder if the games industry hasn't been doing exactly that for the last 10 years. Certainly when we went through that period 5 or so years back when a third of UK studios closed down, it did seem to result in part from the fact we were all spending shed loads on high risk titles that occupied the same customer space.

    There will always be a place for Valve and Epic to turn out the sorts of games they make, but maybe the demise of FR will act as a warning sign to other devs that they need to start finding new genres to work in that carry less cost and less risk. I suppose iof they do that they can STILL pay their large electricity bills.

  • Azazel #121 3 years ago

    Nothing unusual is happening here.

    To be honest if I turned up for work and found the doors locked with nothing but a note, I'd consider it pretty fucking unusual.

  • Monkey_Puncher #122 3 years ago

    Gah, was looking forward to Timesplitters 4 :(

    That really sucks, I liked most of Free Radicals games and the Timesplitters series will be a big miss. Sure Haze was utter balls, but Second Sight was fun and Timesplitters was one of my favourite shooter series.

  • neonemesis #123 3 years ago

    I liked the way Free Radical had all their game saoundtracks up for free download with CD art and everything while other companies make you pay for them. I downloaded the one for Future Perfect a while back but downloaded the TS2 score yesterday before their site inevitably goes down.

    Wild West (TS2), Anaconda (TS2), Scotland the Brave (TS FP) and Like a Robot (TS FP) = 'nuff said.

  • muscleblade #124 3 years ago

    Timesplitters 2 and 3 where great addictive games. Loved the challenges where you could win trophys. I didnt stop until ive had platinum on everything. Good times. Probably the place MS got their achievements idea from btw.

  • Collymilad #125 3 years ago

    I'm no fanboy. I own every console of the last generation and this.

    Let's look at the evidence:

    1. Hero with face covered by visor making his identity your own. Check.
    2. Vehilce sections to traverse large distances. Check.
    3. Rubbish opening level. Check.
    4. The same group of enemies repeated every five minutes with the same attack pattern. Check.
    5. Four letter title starting with "Ha". Check.

    Apart from the excellent vehicle handling and the regenerating shield, there's nothing about Halo that makes it worth recommending.

    Wow talk about clutching at straws.

    Moron.

  • BonzoBanana #126 3 years ago

    Definitely worth getting the timespliters and second sight mp3 downloads while the free radical site is still up.

  • snafu65 #127 3 years ago

    This is what happens when you're a relatively small third party developer and you make a platform exclusive game that after numerous delays turns out to be not very good.