Free Radical in "administration" (CVG 18/12/08)

Word is spreading across the internet that Free Radical Design, the team behind the classic TimeSplitters series (oh, and Haze) has closed it's doors.

Original story:

We're trying to contact the developer right now to set the record straight but there seems to be no one at home. Or at least on the other end of the line.


CVG has been told that the team recently had an 'event' at a local pub and things were so bad that the pub management wanted to do a credit check against the developer before proceedings commenced.

Cash was handed over rather than a card and things went ahead but it didn't sound like a celebration. "Going down with a beer," is what we've been told.

This is all just speculation mind you but it doesn't sound good from what we're hearing.

The developer was working on on a new Star Wars: Battlefront game for LucasArts, which CVG exclusively revealed over two years ago now, as well as a new TimeSpitters game, which it was pitching to publishers.

The firm's last game was the very average Haze for Ubisoft. We hope it's not true. More soon.

UPDATE: The Nottingham Evening Post has seemingly confirmed that the developer has gone into administration:

"A Computer games company which employs 185 people has gone in to administration.

Staff at Free Radical Design, which is based in Bostocks Lane, Sandiacre, turned up to work this morning to find the locks had been changed.

A note stuck on the door told them to attend a meeting at the nearby Novotel at midday.

Cameron Gunn, of Resolve Partners, the administrators that have been called in to deal with the firm, said: "The company was placed in to administration yesterday afternoon.

"We will be spending the next three or four days assessing the financial position of the company but it's business as usual, although we have asked that almost all of the employees apart from a skeleton crew remain at home."

"All employees have been paid up until the end of December and we hope to make another announcement before Christmas or very soon thereafter, but we must stress at this stage that it's business as usual."