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Developer Free Radical in administration

by on19 December 2008

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Future fate of the studio in serious doubt


News reached us today that the Free Radical located in the U.K. and the developer of such titles as TimeSplitters and Second Site has been placed into administration. Several sources are also suggesting that security guards have been employed to prevent employees from entering the building.

The studio was founded by ex-Rare employees, has been the subject of many financial problem rumors and a number of the senior staff had already moved on in the past couple of months. The developer has received much acclaim for several of their titles, but commercial success has been elusive for the company. The most recent released title, Haze, was considered a total flop in both reviews and sales.

The studio was said to be working on an unannounced title for Lucas Arts, which many believe was in fact Star Wars: Battlefront III, according to multiple inside sources. It is widely believed that Rebellion, which worked on the PSP version of the Battlefront franchise, has taken over the entire project when the initial results where not meshing with what Lucas was looking for.

The company was also said to be working on TimeSplitters 4, which was expected to be finally officially announced later this year for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Our sources suggest that the development of TimeSplitters 4 had not been going well and no publisher had been found yet for the unannounced title.

From what we know right now, the administrator is currently taking a look at the situation and trying to figure out what the next step will be for the company. Reports are suggesting that most employees have been asked to stay home except for a skeleton crew and that all employees have been paid through the end of the year.

Reports are suggesting that the administrator will be taking a look at the financial situation, as well as the possible IP that could be sold before making a final decision on what will become of the company. While the administrator expects an announcement before Christmas or soon after, the future does not likely look very promising, according to our sources.

Last modified on 19 December 2008
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