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Free Radical Design closes doors News
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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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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. |
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el_pollo_diablo
18/12/08 @ 13:18
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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. |
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JohnnyWashnGo
18/12/08 @ 13:23
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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.
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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. |
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DanWhitehead
18/12/08 @ 13:31
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I've said it before and I'll say it again - TimeSplitters 2 was better than Halo.
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"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 1 times,
most recently on 18/12/08 @ 13:34
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GamesConnoisseur
18/12/08 @ 13:33
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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. |
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@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. |
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Kenshin001
18/12/08 @ 13:36
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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.
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@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 2 times,
most recently on 18/12/08 @ 13:45
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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. |
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Thunderbolt!
18/12/08 @ 13:59
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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. |
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kangarootoo
18/12/08 @ 14:02
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Second Sight had a great back story, but Psi-ops had the tighter gameplay.
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LockeTribal
18/12/08 @ 14:02
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Sad day for gaming in Europe :(
Created possibly the best FPS of last gen in TimeSplitters 2, so they will be sorely missed. |
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kangarootoo
18/12/08 @ 14:03
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Second Sight had a great back story, but Psi-ops had the tighter gameplay.
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RobotRocker
18/12/08 @ 14:05
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Guys, you are forgeting the single greatest contribution Free Radical has ever made to gaming. The Anaconda theme.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sSkgdBGRvOw |
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MrChuckles
18/12/08 @ 14:11
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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... |
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el_pollo_diablo
18/12/08 @ 14:16
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There's something very rotten in the games industry if all it takes to sink a company is one poorly selling game.
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UKGN_Zoidberg
18/12/08 @ 14:18
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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. |
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The Bodybuilder
18/12/08 @ 14:19
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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.
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kangarootoo
18/12/08 @ 14:30
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@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? |
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el_pollo_diablo
18/12/08 @ 14:31
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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. |
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tomacwhite
18/12/08 @ 14:32
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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... |
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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. |
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konniehuqfan
18/12/08 @ 14:41
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always sad news when people get laid off.
timesplitters was the first game i played on my ps2. |
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