TimeSplitters 4

TimeSplitters 4
Series	TimeSplitters
Engine	CryEngine 3
Release date(s)	Cancelled
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

TimeSplitters 4 was a proposed fourth installment of the TimeSplitters series. It would have been developed by Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical Design, the developers responsible for the first three installments in the series. Development had been abandoned by April 2012, although a team including some original members of Free Radical Design announced plans for a TimeSplitters Rewind game in March 2013.

Development

In June 2007, the Official UK PlayStation Magazine revealed that another installment of the TimeSplitters series was being made.^[1] However, at Kotaku, Rob Yescombe, the scriptwriter for the previous title in the series, said that the systems they were developing the game for were "unsigned at the moment."^[2]

"I'm sure it's possible to do a control scheme that works," Doak added, when asked about his thoughts on developing a first-person shooter for Wii.^[3] An early logo for the game was a spoof of the Gears of War logo with a monkey head replacing the skull. There was some concept art for a monkey in Master Chief's armour. Similarly, videos and screenshots of a monkey driving a heavy mechanical diving suit similar to ones featured in BioShock have been released on the developer's website. Because of this, it is expected that there will be more in-game "potshots" of those games as well as other gaming franchises.^[1] Yescombe from Free Radical Design confirmed that prediction.^[2] Free Radical Design mentioned that TimeSplitters 4 will not use the much-criticised Haze engine, instead opting for some "new and double shiny tech".^[4]

Despite the game officially being announced as being in development,^[5] the future of the title became uncertain due to Free Radical Design going into administration on 18 December 2008.^[6] However, the studio was bought by Crytek, the developers behind the Crysis series. Free Radical have changed their name to Crytek UK. As of 17 August 2009, the project has officially been declared as on hold. In a recent interview, Crytek UK claimed that they would continue the project once there is a high industry demand for such a game.^[7]

Crytek UK has filed a new trademark registration for TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. The application was filed on 26 April 2010. Future Perfect was previously released on the Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2005. On 1 November 2010, Crytek UK announced that they were discussing with publishers whether releasing TimeSplitters 4 is the right move to take.^[8] Other senior Crytek staff have spoken about 'talks with publishers over the possibilities of a new TS.'^[9]

On 14 June 2011, VideoGamer.com informed that a high-ranked source inside Crytek had leaked that the company is currently working on a new game (rumored to be TimeSplitters 4) with DirectX 11 to be released on next-generation platforms, Wii U, and successors to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ^[10] Since then, Crytek has denied any collaboration with Microsoft, however confirmed the use of DirectX 11. They made no comment towards the outcome of TimeSplitters 4.^[11]

On 30 July 2011, an article in Official PlayStation Magazine September 2011 edition claimed that the fourth installment was to be announced soon by Crytek, stating "Gun-wielding monkeys are making a comeback! A fourth TimeSplitters title is to be announced soon."^[12][13]

Indefinite postponement

On 5 September 2011, in an article by review website Cinema Blend, Lead Future Perfect programmer Tristan Reidford revealed that the game was indefinitely postponed. "Future Perfect didn't perform as well as expected in the shops. Although fun to make, without stellar sales figures a further TimeSplitters game was going to be a tough one to sell to publishers. It's a hard game to summarise in an easy sentence like 'car modding racing game' or 'third-person stealth game.'" Lead animator James Cunliffe further explained, "I think we just felt that the franchise was well-received but we had other things we wanted to try before going back to it. We weren't in any particular hurry to rush into TimeSplitters 4."^[14]

On 27 April 2012, a spokesperson from Crytek confirmed that Timesplitters 4 was "not in development".^[15] On 12 June 2012, Cevat Yerli from Crytek stated that "Look, I wish we were working on it. The thing with TimeSplitters is, if we made a sequel to TimeSplitters, nobody would accept this apart from some fans, and we don't know how big the fan community is unfortunately."^[16]

TimeSplitters Rewind

On 29 November 2012, it was revealed that a group of fans were given permission to develop a TimeSplitters mod using CryEngine 3.^[17] The project lead, Michael Hubicka, stated that the ultimate goal is to make it TimeSplitters 4.^[18] It was announced that the development team would include some of the original members of Free Radical Design (now known as Crytek UK). The game would combine earlier elements of the trilogy and be named TimeSplitters Rewind. Eventually gaining Crytek's approval, thanks in part to a 75,000-strong petition from players, the development team intended to use CryEngine 3. The team said that, although the engine will give it more of a modern look, they "didn't plan on fixing something that isn't broken." They were allowed to use original assets from the series, and will still provide the classic feel and look the original TimeSplitters games did. It was expected to feature a multiplayer mode, to be free of charge on the PC, and a March 2013 announcement planned to have a demo by December 2013.^[19]

References