Embracer finally confirms closure of TimeSplitters studio Free Radical

Plaion, the Embracer-owned games publisher in charge of TimeSplitters developer Free Radical, has confirmed the studio has been closed.

“It’s with a heavy heart that we must announce yet another difficult decision,” the company said in a statement issued to VGC.

“Today, we have to confirm the official closure of Free Radical Design, and say goodbye to many remarkable, talented and hard-working people.

“We are beyond grateful for their incredible contributions to PLAION and wish them the best of luck and success on their professional journey from here on out.”

VGC reported last month that Free Radical was at threat of being closed just two years after it was established, as part of huge company-wide cuts at Embracer and its owned publishers.

Multiple developers posted on social media this week, claiming that all 80 remaining staff at the company have been let go.

For the past six months, Embracer has been carrying out a restructuring plan which has already seen some game studios closed and some projects cancelled.

The company confirmed earlier this month that over 900 employees were let go during its second quarter ended in September.

It’s not yet clear what the closure will mean for the future of TimeSplitters, the classic first-person shooter series the new Free Radical was re-established to revive.

The first iteration of Free Radical Design was formed in 1999 and developed the TimeSplitters series and Second Sight. Following the disappointing reception of Haze and a cancelled Star Wars: Battlefront project, the studio went bankrupt in 2008.

Plaion and its parent company Embracer announced in May 2021 that a new Free Radical Design had been established by original founders Steve Ellis and David Doak to bring the TimeSplitters IP “back to life”.