Free Radical Design closes doors Comments by Games Industry.biz

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.

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

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.

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 :(

"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.

A very sad day. Hopefully Timespliters 4 can be saved somehow. Bar Goldeneye, they were the greatest fps games ever made.

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...

"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.

"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...

Shame. Hope they all get jobs soon.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

@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.

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.

"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.

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

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...

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.

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.

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.

"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.

"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.

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.

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!!!!!!!

@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.

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.

Why even bring it up? Completely unrelated and stupid.

"the games industry is coming to an end"

Lol of the century!

FR died because of Haze, plain and simple. It's a message that I hope many other devs take note of: Produce shit and you will pay the price.

I'm very sorry for the people who lost their jobs. No-one wants that, especially in these hard times, but standards must be met.

Oh, also: PS3-only development is commercial suicide. Not big enough gaming base as too many PS3's are used for Blu-ray only and development is prohibitively expensive.

EDIT: Much love for Timesplitters 2 but better than Halo? Your having a giraffe.

Oh, and TS2 for XBLA please!

"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.

@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.

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.

:-/

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 :(

"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. "

that's right.. the millino who love it are wrong and you are right.

This is really nothe place for this crap.

Lots of people have just lost their jobs so who cares what you think of Halo.

My best wishes go out to them and I hope all the staff find something else soon.

@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.

I just read Dan Whitheads comment, I suspected for some time and now it is confirmed.. bloody barking. anyway.. those are just opinions and we all have a right to different ones.

whatever your view of Timesplitters it's bloody sad to see these guys gone.

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.

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

Halo Rocks!




Damn! :(

@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 :)

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

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!

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.

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.