Sign on Options
Theme:
To Dark

Crytek metabolizes Free Radical

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted Feb 4, 2009 9:47 am PT

PC first-person-shooter developer acquires the remnants of studio behind TimeSplitters and Haze, redubs it Crytek UK.

The fate of the studio behind Haze is finally clearing up. German developer Crytek announced today that it has acquired all remaining assets and business of Free Radical Design, which was placed into administration in December after sweeping layoffs. At the time, it had reportedly been working on Star Wars: Battlefront III, now rumored to be at Rebellion.

Consider this monkey shocked.

Consider this monkey shocked.

"The combination of this team, the Crytek network, and our CryEngine technology will be a foundation for outstanding gaming experiences and a magnet for the best talent in the UK," said Crytek managing director Avni Yerli in a statement. Crytek has said that it will integrate Free Radical into its own network (which includes studios in Ukraine, Hungary, Bulgaria, and South Korea), turning the outfit into Crytek UK.

In addition to Haze, UK-based Free Radical is best known for its work on the cult-favored franchise TimeSplitters. The studio had been prepping the fourth installment of the first-person shooter series for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii before its collapse. Crytek is also an FPS specialist, and its two most famous games--Crysis and Far Cry--have been solely for the PC. (After acquiring the Far Cry license, Ubisoft brought the series to the 360, PS3, and Wii.)

Last April, though, Crytek director and founder Cevat Yerli declared that the Electronic Arts-allied developer would develop future projects for multiple platforms. The company has already shown behind-closed-doors demonstrations of its CryEngine2 running on both the 360 and PS3.

127 Comments

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Jul 29, 2009 4:48 pm GMT

    splendid!

  • VXLbeast

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 7:52 pm GMT

    Good luck to them!

  • JimmeyBurrows

    Posted Jun 20, 2009 4:05 pm GMT

    Timesplitters on CryEngine sounds beastly
    little put off by them making it for ps3/360 and the wii... if it can run on the wii, it's not gonna make good use of the ps3/360... which although sucking, will hopefully mean good framerates.

  • Odesien

    Posted Jun 19, 2009 5:18 pm GMT

    i want my timesplitters!!!!!!!!!!

  • Zapp3d

    Posted May 24, 2009 12:11 pm GMT

    I am so glad there is going to be a timesplitters 4 i still play the third one and love i just really hope they keep it fun and kinda cartoonish graphic like the others...and dont chage the gameplay, its great like it is!

  • -Dark_Palladin-

    Posted Apr 3, 2009 9:03 am GMT

    What's a matter now? Not a taste for old-school colorful graphics? If you want to see the series ruined by black and white graphics, be my guest. And btw, this is coming from a fan of Half-Life 2, Oblivion, Doom 3, and FarCry.

  • Killingspree303

    Posted Mar 24, 2009 11:09 am GMT

    @-Dark_palladin-

    You're totally lost! I'm just laughing at your post right now. I agree with lucid1314 by the way. xD

  • Lucid1314

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 12:01 am GMT

    Dark Palladin... are you saying Crysis and FarCry were developed on the Unreal engine...? because they weren't... they're on their own engines. Far Cry runs on the CryEngine while Crysis runs on the Cry Engine 2... and honestly... I think CryTek won't screw it up at all... TimeSplitters can have very amazing graphics and still be quirky and funny like the originals... my only real concern is that I hope they will go back and play the games, improve upon them and make TimeSplitters 4 really good. As for Mapmaker... TS mapmaker was rather weak in the kind of things I wanted to do but it was good for making a basic map... I just wanted to make maps like the single player ones. Crysis had a good mapmaker if I'm not mistaken (I never used FarCry's) and seeing how their map maker was good I think TS4's will be just as good if they have it, which I'm sure they will.

  • -Dark_Palladin-

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 7:49 am GMT

    Damn, this does not look good at all.

    I am glad that Timesplitters is being revived. I'm a childhood fan and although it obivously isn't the best series in the entire world, its better than what most consoles have. I'm hyped, but I fear that it is going to be ruined, just like Turok and Space Invaders. Having the TS series taken over by a different company is bad enough, but using the new generation's graphics engine is even worse.

    I for one, absolulty hate the Unreal Engine and I will never understand what other people like about it. The Unreal Engine makes games look extremly washed out to try to make them look more realistic, but I think its absoulutly boring. Watching a black-and-white movie has more color than all Unreal powered games combined.

    Crysis and Far Cry were awesome game, but they looked really washed out because of the graphics engine. Crytek was trying to make them look good and realistic, which is not what made Timesplitter so poplular.

    Timesplitters was goofy, had goofy guns, had goofy monkeys, robots, and a sense of humor. And considering Crytek has a tendency to add more realisim, I fear the worst. There will probably be only boring SMGs and soviet weapons instead of bricks. There will probably be only a few monekys and no robofishes or humor. The game will probably be like Team Arena 2. Cartoonish, strafe jumping, and just boring. There will probably not even be a mapmaker.

    To sum all this up, I'm nerveous. But I'm keeping my faith in Crytek, only because I know Far Cry was a good game.

  • Outlaw-X13

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 9:42 pm GMT

    I'm really happy now! Time-Splitters is my favorite game series, I almost cried when I heard Free-Radical got shut down. But then I found this bit of news and now a part of me and my youth just got resurrected! Just think.. it's Free-Radical.. but with a bigger budget.. (And I'm sure they will keep it the same style game but with incredible physics and graphics and whatnot!) I'm really happy I read this, really! WOO!

  • evil_monkey248

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 11:12 am GMT

    CSP2009, Crytek makes realistic games, because of realistic engines (mostly) so you can expect that TS4 will still use the engine they designed for the game.

    Still, imagine a world where TS4 used Cryengine2 *drools*

  • thekillerxbox36

    Posted Feb 28, 2009 12:40 am GMT

    I hope Timesplitters 4 is released later in the future. With the new company of Crytek, this should be interesting for new developments for the FPS that Free Radical did. And since Crysis was amazing, Timesplitters 4 should have the same style of shooting. Let's hope they do it right.

  • CSP2009

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 3:33 pm GMT

    I hope that they don't lose the element behind timesplitters that everyone loved if they do then anygame from then on I will boycott because Crytek make good realistic games. I am fed up of realistic games I want a game that is fun with cool little perks which is why I guess people liked the timesplitters series

  • pop_can

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 5:50 pm GMT

    huh, Crysis and the origional Far Cry were amazing games.

    thankfully a good company like Crytek got FR and not a crappy company.

    Crysis was awsome, Timesplitters is awsome, so good things seem ahead.
    Hopefully Timesplitters 4 will come out eventually, Crytek would be retarted to abandon one of the most loved franchises in video game history.

  • tonyhawksP8

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:45 am GMT

    Free Radical killed their own company.

  • gamescottsman

    Posted Feb 9, 2009 8:43 am GMT

    This sounds like a great setup - bring on the goods!

  • coureurke

    Posted Feb 8, 2009 2:25 am GMT

    Time Splitter has always been one of my favorite games soo yeah nice :p

  • vengeance00

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 12:16 pm GMT

    don't forget nerdemeror they also did perfect dark (1) before they left to form FR.

  • smoshgod

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 11:59 am GMT

    If they bring back timesplitters then i will be so happy. That series is the best no matter what you compare it to!!!!!

  • NerdEmperor

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 7:20 am GMT

    Funkyhamster, don't forget Goldeneye (when they were at Rare) and Second Sight(really underrated).

  • andalore

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 5:19 am GMT

    YEAH!! Timesplitters may still come out! and SWBF3 may be returned to Free Rad's loving care

  • vengeance00

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 4:42 am GMT

    does this mean their keeping the staff of FR or have they all left, because TS4 may be aweful if it isn't created by the original creators. look at Rare they ruined perfect dark after the FR members left to form their own company.

  • alixkid

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 10:43 pm GMT

    Glad to see someone Grabbed this studio before they went into history.

  • Funkyhamster

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 6:58 pm GMT

    Sick... I'm glad that the studio wasn't just left to die.

    Oh, and can we remember Free Radical as the studio behind Timesplitters, not as the studio behind Haze?

  • jsduncan7

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 5:00 pm GMT

    Why did FR even make HAZE? They should've make TS4 first, for all platforms, and maybe they wouldn't have went under (but the mixture of FR and crytek does sound awesome.)

  • allotheabove123

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 4:17 pm GMT

    timesplitters future perfect didnt leave much of a cliffhanger at the end

  • mastiffchild

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 4:01 pm GMT

    TS2 is the beans in my book and still as much fun as I've had in MP shooters(not that it would shine now but that feeling on updated tech for TS4 would still be great)looking back at it.
    I feel they were pretty far into development as well which possibly had a bit to do with the Crytec purchase as another existing franchise would help ease them into the console game-and a franchise that would score big kudos with the fanbase if done well-which with the talent at both FRD and Crytec should be possible.
    Good news, no?

  • FurtherIntel

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 1:10 pm GMT

    Awesome news! But, I guess they ditched the Wii or something.

  • murano28

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 12:58 pm GMT

    I played the timesplitter future perfect it was a great and fun shooter, The new one for ps3 would be cool.

  • murano28

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 12:55 pm GMT

    I hope to see the new timesplitters. The second one was very good. Don't wanna see haze....

  • kstegall2

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:59 am GMT

    I really hope the new management continues with the development & publishing of TimeSplitters 4. I love that series & it'd be a crime not to be able to release the continuation of the series that work's already been started on.

  • Takeno456

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:45 am GMT

    Yes timesplitters 4!!!!!

  • Jedilink109

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:17 am GMT

    I just hope they make a Timesplitters 4. Timesplitters 2 was awesome.

  • ChickenHounk911

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:02 am GMT

    I say more of the timesplitters, less of the Haze...

  • Gamingcucumber

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 9:25 am GMT

    This is absolutely amazing news! The are in perfect care. I would LOVE to see what FRD and Crytek can accomplish. And above all else I'm glad that TimeSplitters lives on, for it is one of the VERY few innovative and unique FPS games out there in a croweded market that just keeps getting more and more stale.

    Thumbs up to Crytek and Free Radical!

  • ODST-Spartan_X1

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 7:24 am GMT

    They should release Crysis for platforms I think it would do well not that this is off subject or anything just saying

  • gameweasl

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 4:47 am GMT

    TS4 would be the best FPS ever for XBOX Live!!! Please release this!!!

  • lendrahcir

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 3:57 am GMT

    All I want is to play TS4, I don't care on what platform. Those games were/are fantastic and it would be brilliant to have a new one.

  • BigBad95

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 2:07 am GMT

    they should make crysis and farcry vs timesplitters that would kick ass

  • TehUndeadHorror

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 1:51 am GMT

    Cool! That's definitely nice to hear in a time of economical crisis! (Wow I just realised that I could have almost made that into a bad pun...)

  • monty_4256

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 1:42 am GMT

    the dunia and the cryengine 2 are basically the same
    the cryengine 2 is owned by EA and they had to rename it and change it slightly to make it the dunia engine for ubisoft
    the cry engine 2 is also based off the ce1

  • ratix2

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 12:26 am GMT

    fc2 used dunia not ce2. dunia was based on ce1 though it only has 1-5% ce1 code left over.

  • GeigerdolylWodd

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 11:58 pm GMT

    Was CryEngine2 included in Far Cry 2 for the xbox 360/PC/ps3?

  • St_muscat

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 9:38 pm GMT

    This is great news, thanks Crytek you guys are awesome! Can't wait for TS4.

  • IRTehHardMode

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 9:32 pm GMT

    Cant wait for TS4. One of the most underrated series of games ever. Imo.

  • raghraghragh

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 8:55 pm GMT

    This is brilliant news, as long as too many people don't lose their jobs. Can't wait for TS4 though.

  • FirstDiscovery

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 8:49 pm GMT

    Great news, hopefully they can get out a Timesplitters, its something that they are best at, hopefully itll turn out good and sell well too

  • bennae66

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 8:30 pm GMT

    good.

  • aaronobst

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 8:04 pm GMT

    now if only Crytek were involved in the making of Haze... it would have been something spectacular

  • HeavenIceDay

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 6:35 pm GMT

    Awesome! A CryEngine 2 Timesplitters would be simply awesome!

Subscribe to GameSpot's YouTube Channel

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!