San Andreas’ map was revolutionary. It was detailed, full of character, and, of course, it was huge. Expectations were high for what would come next. If Rockstar could create a map like San Andreas on the PS2, what could they do in the future with better hardware, more manpower, and more money?

What they did do was somewhat unexpected. GTA 4 and 5’s maps were much more detailed than their PS2 predecessors. They both had strong and distinctive tones. But in terms of scale, GTA 4 was smaller, and GTA 5—though technically larger—felt smaller to many GTA fans.

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One week ago, Embracer shut down Free Radical and cancelled TimeSplitters 4. It was devastating news—the game we had anticipated for so long was lost to us once again … or so we thought.

Yesterday, footage of the game, titled TimeSplitters Next, leaked online. What the footage shows is both depressing and eminently predictable.

(Check the bottom of the page for more updates. Major leaks have been happening since this article was published!)

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Bethesda fans are starting to notice the flaws in Bethesda’s game design. These flaws have arguably existed since Oblivion and have worsened with each successive game. Now, with the release of Starfield, criticism of Bethesda has become mainstream.

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Update: Hopes for a new TimeSplitters are dead once again. While sad, this essay is still worth reading for its exploration of what might have been and its commentary on the gaming landscape in general.

In an interview with USGamer, David Doak, co-designer behind GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, and TimeSplitters, said that TimeSplitters was conceived as a “social experience”, similar to Fortnite. He spoke of the series’ aesthetic and gameplay variety, exaggerated characters, and comical tone. The intent behind these features, he explained, was to create a game (and later trilogy) that supports casual, varied, upbeat fun with friends, free of the seriousness and competitiveness of most other shooters.

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Update: Turns out, it won’t have any features at all! Free Radical has been closed once again and TimeSplitters 4 is not happening. The only solace TimeSplittes fans can find is that the game may have been riddled with predatory features anyway. Not a great coping mechanism, but us TimeSplitters fans are pretty used to coping at this point.

The TimeSplitters games are uniquely content-heavy. Whereas most shooters—both then and now—feature a single-player campaign and multiplayer component, all three TimeSplitters games have a campaign, challenge mode, multiplayer (featuring an abnormally large number of modes), and a map maker. Each game has also included split-screen co-op for all modes, bots, and a diverse range of maps, weapons, and playable characters stretching across several time periods and pop culture genres.

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Update: Never mind. Free Radical is dead once again. It is not, after all, time to split. Perhaps it never will be. This essay is still interesting reading though. Well worth a read-through. RIP Free Radical, one of the most abused great game development studios in the industry.

TimeSplitters is a cult classic and for good reason. For many who played it in the glory days of the PlayStation 2, memories of TimeSplitters stir them with nostalgia. In the years since Free Radical went bankrupt, there hasn’t been anything quite like it.

Over a decade later, Deep Silver has reassembled Free Radical Design and set them to work on a reboot of this beloved franchise. This is exciting news for fans of the series, but there is also an air of trepidation.

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