Gamertell

The news of Free Radical closing its doors invariably shocked the gaming community, as it was a development studio held in high regard for its Timesplitters series (even though that high degree of respect was recently washed away due to questionable reviews of its latest Playstation 3-exclusive title Haze).

However, it would appear that reports of their death are greatly exaggerated. An employee of the independent Nottingham, England game developer made it clear in a statement to 1UP that the company is still operational. It was mentioned that 20 employees are still working at its Nottingham office location, with the rest choosing to stay home.

What has happened to Free Radical, however, is that the company went into administration, a state that it has remained in since December 18, 2008. Administration is a UK business procedure that allows a company that is insolvent to continue functioning rather than face liquidation. The company in administration acts in the interest of creditors and attempts to rescue the company in administration.

In this instance, ReSolve is the company tasked with rescuing Free Radical from its economic doldrums. The company expressed confidence that Free Radical would be able to find a buyer for their business should they choose to sell.

At the moment, Free Radical has two projects on its slate: the fourth iteration of Timesplitters and an unknown LucasArts project. Of course, while other projects may be in the works as well, it is these products that are expected to garner the most attention from gamers.

Let’s hope that these games, or anything else, will be enough to save Free Radical from its current state.

Read [1UP] Also Read [Edge Online]