The revamped TimeSplitters game may have been cancelled, however, that hasn’t stopped concept art from making its way out to fans. Given that Free Radical Design studio has recently closed, it may be that these latest images will be tinged with sadness for many fans, as they look at what could have been.
In what could have been the fourth installment of the popular First Person Shooter games, there was a certain expectation from fans after creator, Steve Ellis, was announced to be heading back to the project in 2019. However, in the years that followed, the parent company saw fit to ‘restructure’ and from this all fans have now is a look at the hard work which was so close to completion.
What Does the TimeSplitters Concept Art Look Like?
Those fans looking to check out the concept art for themselves, to see what could have been, can check it out at the fandom site. The site aims to collect any information on the cancelled title and we can see that there are various links to artist portfolios, each of which has provided concept art toward the proposed title.
Many of the former employees of the company are still understandably quite bitter about how they have been made redundant during the festive period. Despite this, many have taken to social media to highlight some of the amazing work that they and their colleagues had been working on for the title and felt that this needed to be shared with fans.
Will Brown was an environmental artist for the planned title, and having now had to find other employment, has shared his concept work on his X page for fans to check out. Assuring fans that he has permission to share this, the artwork highlights just how good the game could have been and will no doubt be a source of more anger from loyal fans.
The original TS game, which was launched way back in the year 2000, was the brainchild of several individuals who had previously worked on development for Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark on the N64. So, it would be no surprise that the FPS would borrow several concepts from these titles, which in turn would make TS so recognizable and enjoyable.
Whilst there would be two sequels in TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, there have been many planned follow-up games that have fallen by the wayside. Ultimately the restructuring by the parent company, Embracer Group, means that the hopes and dreams of many fans who were excited about a possible fourth instalment are all for nothing.
Many of these fans are outraged by the business practices of the parent company (EG), highlighting how many studios the company has acquired, which have now been closed. In the wake of the confirmed closure, many fans alongside ex-employees took to social media to get a certain expletive hashtag trending.
One former artist of Free Radical going by the X handle @malalign made their feelings on the matter very clear;
Well, it’s over. Sorry to all the Timesplitters fans, we wish we could’ve had a better outcome through all of this. All the best to my fantastic colleagues, top-tier passionate folk who can only move upwards from here! Take care, everyone! #F**kEmbracer #F**kEmbracerGroup
Other ex-employees, as is understandable, have gone further in their condemnation of the parent company, but for many, it is the apologetic message to the fans. It appears that the game was a lot closer to completion than many imagined, and perhaps that is what hurts the most amongst the community.
It is unfortunate that the FR studio became yet another statistic in the industry for studios that are sadly closing down, and in the run-up to Christmas no less. Many fans would have had high hopes for an updated version of TS and sadly those hopes are dashed. With the release of the concept art, those loyal fans looking at those images, which are no doubt bittersweet, can only dream of what may have been.
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