| TimeSplitters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Developer(s) | Free Radical Design |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Creator(s) |
|
| Platform(s) | |
| First release | TimeSplitters October 26, 2000 |
| Latest release | TimeSplitters: Future Perfect March 21, 2005 |
TimeSplitters is a series offirst-person shootervideo games developed byFree Radical Design. The games are often considered spiritual successors to theNintendo 64 titlesGoldenEye 007 (1997) andPerfect Dark (2000), due to overlapping elements in gameplay, design, and development team. Each game features atime travelling element in which players battle across a diverse number of locations and periods in history.
The series' three games were released between 2000 and 2005, with the first as an exclusive launch title for thePlayStation 2. Development on a fourth game was being undertaken by a reformed version of Free Radical, owned byDeep Silver, a subsidiary ofEmbracer Group, before its closure in 2023.
The trilogy was rereleased on the PS4 and PS5 as a PS2 classic in 2024, with trophy support, a rewind feature and improved loading times.[1]
| Game | Metacritic |
|---|---|
| TimeSplitters | (PS2) 81[2] |
| TimeSplitters 2 | (PS2) 90[3] (GC) 88[4] (Xbox) 88[5] |
| TimeSplitters: Future Perfect | (PS2) 84[6] (Xbox) 83[7] (GC) 82[8] |
The first game in the series was developed byFree Radical Design and released in October 2000, alongside the launch of thePlayStation 2.[9] The game's story focuses around a temporal war against the TimeSplitters, creatures that use time crystals to travel through time, and by doing so, are disrupting human history.[10][11] Its levels take place across different time periods between the years 1935 and 2035.[12]
The second game in the series was released in October 2002.[9] Unlike its predecessor,TimeSplitters 2 was also released for theXbox andGameCube in addition to the PlayStation 2. It featured similar story elements to the previous game, based around the TimeSplitters and their time crystals spread across multiple centuries,[10] and expanded the concept heavily, including the introduction of characters that would later be used in its sequel, such as the lead character, Sergeant Cortez, a parody ofRiddick.[11]
The series' third installment was released in March 2005.[9]Future Perfect's story played a larger role than in prior games in exploring the origins of the TimeSplitter species, introducing their creator, Jacob Crow, and including the concept of characters interacting with their own past and future selves.[13][14][15] This was the firstTimeSplitters game to feature online multiplayer, which was included for the Xbox and PlayStation 2; however, this feature was omitted from the GameCube version.[14]
In June 2007, theOfficial UK PlayStation Magazine reported on a rumour that another installment of theTimeSplitters series was in development by Free Radical as an exclusive for thePlayStation 3.[16] In the following August, Rob Yescombe, scriptwriter for the series' previous title, confirmed that "TimeSplitters 4 is happening", but stated that the game was "in the very early concept stages, and as yet it's unsigned to any publisher."[17] Despite the previously rumoured PS3 exclusivity, Yescombe stated that no specific release platforms had been established.[17][18] "I'm sure it's possible to do a control scheme that works", co-creator David Doak added, when asked about his thoughts on developing a first-person shooter for theWii.[19] Of the game's timeline, Yescombe stated that "the game's not a very long way away but it's not a very short way away either. It's somewhere in the middle."[17]
A further announcement of the game took place on the Free Radical website the following October.[20] An early logo revealed for the game was a parody of theGears of War logo, with a monkey head replacing the skull from the original.[18][21] Free Radical also sent out an earlyteaser trailer depicting a monkey inMaster Chief's combat armour from theHalo franchise.[22] This led to expectation of "in-game potshots" at those games and other gaming franchises,[21] a prediction confirmed by Yescombe:
"In the pastTimesplitters has been very satirical at the expense of movies, this time it will be satirical at the expense of video games."[18]
Free Radical released further details onTimeSplitters 4 in 2008, mentioning that it would not use the much-criticisedHaze engine, instead opting for some "new and double shiny tech;"[23] however, after going into administration, Free Radical was bought out byCrytek and rebranded as Crytek UK in February 2009.[24] Following this acquisition, theTimeSplitters project was subsequently placed "on hold."[25] In a later interview, co-creator Steve Ellis confirmed that:
"TimeSplitters 4 was in the very early stages of development when Free Radical went into administration ... A small playable demo was shown to several publishers, but it didn't attract any publishing deals."[26]
The poor reception for Free Radical's previous game,Haze, was cited as one of the main reasons for the lack of publisher interest, alongside the lack of marketability for "a game that is based around a diverse set of characters and environments."[26]
On June 14, 2011, the website VideoGamer.com, citing "a high-ranking industry source at Crytek," revealed that the company was working on a newTimeSplitters game, to be released on "the next generation of consoles" (the successors to theXbox 360 and PlayStation 3). The game was expected to utilizeCryEngine 3 andDirectX 11 technology.[27] In 2012, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli expressed desire to work on the project, but also noted concern about its possible reception. He mentioned thatcrowdfunding a sequel had been suggested to him, but deemed doing so to be inappropriate for a larger company such as Crytek.[28] Yerli's comments about a possible crowdfunding campaign prompted apetition to encourage such a venture, which Yerli himself endorsed; however, as of February 2014, the petition's page had reached only approximately half of the desired 100,000 supporters.[29]
On April 27, 2012, a spokesperson from Crytek confirmed thatTimeSplitters 4 was "not in development",[30] and in June 2012, Yerli stated that:
"Look, I wish we were working on it. The thing withTimeSplitters is, if we made a sequel toTimeSplitters, nobody would accept this apart from some fans, and we don't know how big the fan community is unfortunately."[31]
In July 2013,TechRadar spoke to Ellis who, when asked ifTimeSplitters 4 would ever be released on8th generation consoles (such asPlayStation 4 andXbox One), replied with a statement suggesting it was highly unlikely:
"I don't think there's any chance that's going to happen, you always got to the point where the marketing person in the room would say 'I don't know how to sell this' because they want a character that they can put on the front of the box. Every marketing person and every publisher we spoke to [said] 'You can't have that as your selling point' and maybe the sales figures of previous games backed that up."[32]
This prediction was made more concrete by the shutdown of Crytek UK in 2014, with the majority of the company's staff moving toDeep Silver'sDambuster Studios.[33]
In April 2018, a collection of previously unrevealed concept art for the game was made available onReddit, showing characters from multiple time periods and locations, including Ancient Greece and 1950s United States.[34]
On November 29, 2012, it was revealed that, partly in response to a petition for the release of anHD version of the series' original trilogy,[35] a group of fans had been given permission by Crytek to develop aTimeSplitters mod usingCryEngine 3.[36] The project lead, Michael Hubicka, stated that:
"TimeSplitters 4 is our ultimate goal, but first we have to convince Crytek there is sufficient demand for the series through [an] HD Collection."[35]
The game, namedTimeSplitters Rewind, will combine "greatest hits" elements from across the trilogy.[37] The team have stated that, although the engine will giveRewind more of a modern look, they "didn't plan on fixing something that isn't broken."[38] It is expected to feature both story and multiplayer modes and to be free of charge on the PC.[38] The development team originally planned to develop the game using theUnreal Engine 4; however in 2017, they revealed an intention to instead use CryEngine 3, due to concerns that the Unreal version would be unable to "use theTimeSplitters IP and would likely have to re-brand."[39]
In January 2020, the team announced a shift in the game's intended release model, stating that they would begin by releasing a small, but "feasible" amount of content initially, followed later by further maps and content.[37] In September 2020, new gameplay footage was released, over which the project's lead writer stated that "the game is looking and feeling really close", and has 57 people working on it.[40] This was followed by a further update in December 2021 which indicated that the game was entering a "second round of QA testing"; however, no release window was provided.[41]
During an interview in 2012 about their mobile game studio,Crash Lab, former Free Radical team members Steve Ellis, Martin Wakeley and Lee Musgrave confirmed that an HD version ofTimeSplitters 2 had been in development as a downloadable product during 2008; however, the product was never released before Free Radical shut down.[42] Ellis expressed a desire to see the HD version released eventually, opining that "it could be the catalyst that is required in order to raise enough interest inTimeSplitters 4 that a publisher might want to fund it."[43]
As aneaster egg withinHomefront: The Revolution, developed by Dambuster Studios and released by Deep Silver in 2016, players could use an in-gamearcade machine to play the first two levels ofTimeSplitters 2, remade in high-definition.[44] During 2021 interviews, developer Matt Phillips revealed that the game actually contained a full4K resolution remake of the game.[45] The unlock code required to access the full version, including multiplayer features, if the arcade machine were moved to a different map, had since been lost by Phillips:[45] however, he had given it previously to a friend to "leak" in aDiscord channel, which the friend had been banned for from the channel,[45][46] thereby allowing Xbox principal software engineer Spencer Perreault to obtain the code several days after the interview and share it onTwitter.[46] An insider source later confirmed toEurogamer that the unlock codes were from the original game likely for testing or press versions and that the easter egg had only ever been intended to cover the first two levels; however, the fastest way to include those levels was to include the full story mode, with a "soft-lock" in place.[47] Dambuster only realised there was a way to unlock the full game afterHomefront shipped.[47]
In another easter egg, this time within the November 2020 "Fallen God" expansion forSpellForce 3, published byTHQ Nordic, whose parent company, theEmbracer Group, acquired the rights toTimeSplitters in 2018, players found an item for sale by an in-game vendor named "TimeSplitters 2 Remake."[48] The item contained the following in-game blurb:
"It's finally coming! The iconic shooter, which has stood the test of time to join the era of modern games."[49]
This led to speculation that the company were planning to release this remake as a genuine product; however, a spokesperson for THQ Nordic confirmed that the item was "just an innocent Easter egg" and the vendor was "a character known especially for not telling the truth."[50] A subsequent statement from THQ stated that:
"The intention behind those easter eggs was pure fun. When Koch Media and Deep Silver are ready to talk aboutTimeSplitters, they will make sure to get heard."[51]
In August 2018,Koch Media, a subsidiary ofTHQ Nordic AB, announced that they had acquired theintellectual property and publishing rights forTimeSplitters, with the intention of publishing future games in the series via their Deep Silver publishing company.[52][53][54] In August 2019, THQ Nordic announced in their financial report that Steve Ellis had joined the company to "help plot the future course for [theTimeSplitters] franchise."[55][56][54] Ellis stated that the series' "time has now come" and expressed hopes that "the original team will join hands again."[57] Later that month, Dambuster Studios, which includes several former Free Radical staff members, replied to a fan on Twitter, confirming that Ellis had a team "handling the nextTimeSplitters product."[51] The series' other creator, David Doak, confirmed in an interview that he "isn't directly involved with this new interpretation," but expressed a desire to see it return as a "social experience", rather than a traditional boxed-game product.[58]
On 20 May 2021,Deep Silver announced via Twitter that it was reforming Free Radical Design as a new Deep Silver studio (based inNottingham, England, location of the original Free Radical headquarters)[59][60] to create the next entry in theTimeSplitters franchise.[61] It was also announced that the new Free Radical would be headed not just by Ellis, but also by Doak, marking the return of both franchise creators amongst other "key original members;"[62] however, it did confirm that development on the new game had not yet started,[63] and would begin "in the coming months", once the studio was fully established.[64][62]
On 8 November 2023, it was reported thatFree Radical Design who is owned byEmbracer Group was at risk of being closed, people close to the company said that the studio was part of an evaluation and employees had been notified that it could be closed.[65]In the lead up to Christmas 2023 it was announced that Free Radical had closed. Many of its employees posted goodbye messages to twitter and the official website reading "404 Company not found :(".[66]
Each of theTimeSplitters games arefirst-person shooters which also feature elements of exploration and puzzle-solving.[10]Multiplayer is a core gameplay element, bothco-operative such as allowing two players to play through story missions together and competitive multiplayer; however, these multiplayer elements were local play only, without online multiplayer, until the release ofTimeSplitters: Future Perfect.[10][67]
The series' visual style uses character models and expressions emphasizing morecaricatured,cartoon-like qualities andcomic book-inspired design, supported by animators from traditional2D animation backgrounds.[68][69] Many of the characters represent parodies of established pop culture stereotypes, such as the aristocraticEnglish explorer or the suave secret agent,[11][70] and many aspects of the series focus on often surreal and self-deprecating humor.[11]
The games' story mode consists of a series of missions that can be played by either one or two players. In the firstTimeSplitters, story missions are based upon the retrieval of a key object such as a time crystal and its successful return.[11][12]TimeSplitters 2 andTimeSplitters: Future Perfect introduced additional story mode objectives and more complex levels.[71][11]
Arcade mode is the multiplayer aspect of theTimeSplitters series, but also provides the option to include AI-controlledbots with configurable difficulty levels, to act in place of human players.[12] The games are notable for their large selection of multiplayer modes (such as a total of 16 different competition modes inTimeSplitters 2),[70] spanning both traditionalDeathmatch andCapture the Flag-type games,[11][12] as well as otherTimeSplitters-specific modes such as "Flame Tag", "Virus", "Shrink", and "Monkey Assistant."[71] The games also provide players with options to customise multiple details of each game mode, such as rules and available weapons, to create a more varied experience.[71][72]
In arcade mode, players can choose from a variety of playable characters (a total of 150 inFuture Perfect, for example), each with distinct attributes in areas such as speed and stamina.[67]
TimeSplitters 2 introduced "Arcade League": a single-player challenge mode using the structure of arcade Mode.[70] In arcade league, players compete against AI bots to earn trophies and unlock additional arcade mode content, such as playable characters.[67]
Challenge mode, available in all games of the series, consists of sets of single-playerminigame challenges.[70][71] The challenges, often with an imposed time limit,[12] span a broad variety of gameplay styles, such as defending against zombies, collecting bananas as a monkey, racing robot cats, and smashing windows with a brick.[70] Rewards, such as additional characters and weapons for arcade mode, are granted to players upon successful completion of challenges.[72][73]
Each game in the series included "MapMaker": a grid-basedlevel editor in which players could create their own custom content.[12][74] The first game in the series only allowed creation of multiplayer arcade mode maps, whereasTimeSplitters 2 allowed players to also create single-player story levels with objectives.[70] The third game added the ability to create maps which take place outdoors, whereas previous games had only allowed the creation of indoor maps.[11] The online component added toFuture Perfect meant players were able to upload and rate MapMaker creations for online sharing.[68][73]
TheTimeSplitters games were developed byFree Radical Design, a development company based in theMidlands, UK.[75] Free Radical was founded in 1999 by five people, all of whom had previously worked forRare on theNintendo 64 first-person shootersGoldenEye 007 andPerfect Dark for a year and a half of development, but before its release:[76] directors David Doak and Steve Ellis set up the company,[77] and were then followed by director Karl Hilton, soundtrack composer Graeme Norgate, and Lee Ray.[76][58][78][75] As a result of this shared development team, gameplay similarities, and occasionally overlapping settings (such as a Russian dam, as featured inTimeSplitters 2), theTimeSplitters franchise is often compared to these predecessors,[10][9] and considered to be their "spiritual successor."[79][80][81]
Free Radical made an agreement withEidos Interactive in February 1999 to "work for roughly three years on a novel FPS".[76] Although it was not the first game worked on by the team–the first being an FPS with the working title ofRedemption:[76] what would later becomeSecond Sight–[58]TimeSplitters began development after the company received approval to obtain a PlayStation 2devkit, which were difficult to obtain[76] and decided to focus on creating a more straightforward shooter whose pace would suit the new console's power,[58] and which could be developed in time for the PlayStation 2's delayed launch date.[76] The team approached the project with the intent of increasing not just pace, but also the quantity/variety of enemies compared toGoldenEye andPerfect Dark.[78] In the words of David Doak:
"Steve [Ellis, lead programmer] got something up and running really quickly. I think Sony were really impressed; their experience had been that people would take six months, eight months, a year to get anything working at all on PS2. It was down to Steve's technical ability: he had a first-person thing up and running fairly quickly."[76]
In October 2000, following initial development under the working title ofMPG (Multiplayer Game),[76] the completedTimeSplitters became Free Radical's first game release,[11][70] and was the only PlayStation 2 launch title developed in Europe.[58][76]
This was followed directly byTimeSplitters 2 in October 2002,[76][10] which was developed in less than two years and released simultaneously for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube.[76] Like its predecessor,TimeSplitters 2 was published by Eidos Interactive.[82][58] Eidos had originally stated that they would not support a GameCube version, claiming it "had no relationship with Nintendo"; however, they reversed that decision once Free Radical offered the publishing rights toActivision.[76]
David Doak describedTimeSplitters 2 as "what we thought the first game should have been ... all the ideas we'd had along the way."[83] This included strengthening the single-player mode, which had received criticism for its lack of depth in the multiplayer-focused original.[75] Development for the sequel had begun the very next day after the game was completed in September 2000, and would ultimately include enhancements such as a new animation system and improved special effects.[75]
In 2003, a decision was made for Eidos to part ways with Free Radical.[82] Following this, the team were approached byElectronic Arts, who said that they "love theTimeSplitters series and they wanted to get involved with it."[68] In January 2004, EA announced that it would be publishing the series' third entry in the following year, promising "improved gameplay functions, completely revamped graphics, a wholly original storyline and all-new online play".[84] The game's development team felt that the questions asked by EA during the early stages of its development helped them to refine their process, providing a "fresh approach which encouraged us to focus on specific issues."[73] For this third game, the team had also shifted to a model where the level designers would choose settings that were "interesting to them" and the lead writers would then establish a narrative to connect those separate elements.[13]
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, was released in March 2005,[9] following on from Free Radical's first non-TimeSplitters game,Second Sight, in 2004.[85] Prior to the game's release, the developers expressed a desire to establish an "ongoing relationship" with EA;[68] however, in later interviews, Doak reflected that the game "wasn't successful because EA buried it", recalling a scenario where he was told by an EA rep that there would not be significant marketing investment, because it was instead being invested inGoldenEye: Rogue Agent, developed byEA Los Angeles.[83] Doak recounts being told that "your game's really good, but unfortunately we've got another game which has turned out to not be as good as we thought it was going to be, and we need to support it with the marketing money."[83] In Doak's words:
"We didFuture Perfect with EA and I think delivered an amazingly good game, but they didn't make the effort to sell it ... and by that time Free Radical was a fairly big company, so we had a lot of mouths to feed. We were quite cross with them, to put it mildly."[58]
Following confirmation in 2007 that work on it had begun,[17]TimeSplitters 4, having failed to secure a publishing deal,[26] was placed on hold when Free Radical was taken over by Crytek, becoming Crytek UK in 2009.[24][25] This was followed in 2014 by the closure of Crytek, at which time, the majority of staff were relocated to Dambuster Studios.[33]
In August 2018, Koch Media acquired the rights toTimeSplitters, and by 2019 had hired series co-creator Steve Ellis to plan the series' future.[54] Work on "[bringing] theTimeSplitters franchise back to life" was confirmed in May 2021 with the reformation of Free Radical Design (as part of Deep Silver), although development had not yet begun on the game by that time.[62][63]
In November 2021,Microsoft addedbackwards compatibility to theXbox Series X/S andXbox One for bothTimeSplitters 2 andTimeSplitters: Future Perfect, as part of an Xbox 20th anniversary event.[86]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)