Free Radical of TimeSplitters fame was forced into an administrative (bankrupt) state during this past holiday season. With it, the developers halted production on an upcoming TimeSplitters title as well as a sequel in the Battlefront franchise. Thankfully, Crytek has supposedly stepped in and hired the former Free Radical staff, saving them from unemployment.
According to Edge Online, Crytek was able to snag a total 43 employees from the cutting room floor. That’s something worth applauding in the current economic climate. Furthermore, the acquisition is believed to have gone rather smoothly.
"The sale was relatively easy for us to achieve," Cameron Gunn, administrator at Resolve Partners, told Edge. "There were several interested parties in the end, and we had to auction the business."
Whether this means that gamers will ever get to enjoy TimeSplitters 4 or Battlefront III is yet to be seen, but now it’s at least a realistic possibility. After all, Crytek now has the manpower to manage those titles, right?