Free Radical. There was a time, about ten years back, when that name meant something in the video game world. A studio formed by former Rare Ltd. staffers that had worked on games like Goldeneye 007, Free Radical made some unusual action titles for the original Xbox, the PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Gamecube. Chief among them were the TimeSplitters games, great console first-person shooters that blended tight action with a solid sense of humor. The company was working on a fourth TimeSplitters before going belly up in 2008 and getting eaten up by Crysis creators Crytek the following year, but little has been heard about the game since. Being the sequel-happy folk they are though, word is Crytek is working on TimeSplitters 4 alongside Crysis 3.
Magazine OXM (via CVG) reported in their latest issue that sources claim they’ve actually seen Timeplitters 4 running and that HD re-releases of the first three games will likely release alongside the new game.
TimeSplitters 4 rumors have been popping up with increasing frequency as of late. Reports from Video Gamer.com and others in the summer of 2011 claimed that sources inside Crytek said the game is in the works. Cinema Blend reported in September though that what was originally planned to be TimeSplitters 4 was cancelled prior to Free Radical shutting its doors in 2008.
