Free Radical Design, the second iteration of the Timespliters and Haze studio, might very well be closed before this Christmas.
At least, that’s what the CEO of parent company Embracer, Lars Wingefors, is said to have told employees in a private e-mail. Sources close to outlet VGC claim that Wingefors sent an e-mail mentioning a possible closure date of December 11, following the completion of a consultation process. “As we move through the consultation process and face the potential closure of Free Radical Design on 11 December 2023, I want to express my gratitude for your commitment and the remarkable work you’ve done and still keep doing,” the internal e-mail from the Embracer CEO reads.
Wingefors added, “This is a challenging time for all of us but especially for you, and our focus is to support you as much as we can during this transition.”
Embracer hasn’t publically confirmed the closure of the re-opened studio, but it’s likely that news will follow soon. Back in September of this year, Wingefors said that, as part of the company’s ongoing restructuring process, there will be additional closures. “It’s tough from many standpoints, obviously, but we are determined to deliver on this”, he said during a meeting with investors. “Preferably we would like to find new opportunities for the employees, even if it’s outside of Embracer Group potentially. Sometimes it’ll be a divestment, or that we are working with partners to finance some projects. But ultimately we are making decisions to either restructure or to downsize some teams and there will be a few cases of closures. We are confident to deliver on the target set out for the end of the fiscal year.”
In 2021, it was announced that Free Radical Design was being resurrected with the studio bringing back the TimeSplitters franchise. The TimeSplitters IP was acquired by THQ Nordic back in 2018 – the publishing subsidiary of Embracer.
