Without even an official announcement, it looks like Embracer Group has shut down UK game studio Free Radical Design, the team behind the TimeSplitters series of video games.
Staff at the Nottingham-based developer have been sharing their thoughts, goodbyes, and happy memories on Twitter (spotted via Game Informer), while a number of those have also shared "looking for work" updates on LinkedIn.
Many have only found out about the developer's closure today, 11th December 2023, thanks to messages on social media from now-former staff. Alex Tang, Junior Environment Artist shared photos of many of the team, following two earlier tweets saying "farewell" and quoting the famous Tintin "What a week" meme. Senior Tech Artist Adam Kiraly closed off an emotional "last day" tweet with the iconic words "It's time to split"
The company's official website has also been closed, with the message "404 Company Not Found " appearing on the screen. And just in case there were any doubts, Senior Artist Mark Normington replied to a user on social media that "We are closed".
So, that's it — the studio has been closed without so much of a mention, swept under the rug without a statement from Embracer or Plaion. Game Informer and VGC have reached out to Embracer for comment.
Back in November, VGC reported that Embracer — which owns Plaion, the parent company of Deep Silver, of which Free Radical is under — was "under threat" of being closed. The studio was reformed in 2021 to bring back the TimeSplitters IP. However, the writing was officially on the wall a few weeks ago when Plaion "privately acknowledged" that the studio would be facing closure before Christmas (via VGC).
If you've been following the games industry this year, then you'll know it's been a pretty rough year for developers and publishers, with Embracer-owned studios perhaps suffering the most. Over 900 employees at the company have been laid off, with studios such as Volition, Campfire Cabal, Beamdog, and Crystal Dynamics either suffering lay-offs or complete shutdowns.
Are you upset about the closure of Free Radical Design? Share your thoughts down below.
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2023-12-12 01:10:06Z
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