Following a botched deal that’s become somewhat notorious in game industry spheres, Embracer’s “restructuring” plans continue to take their toll on unfortunate studios. Employees at TimeSplitters studio Free Radical fear that their studio might be headed for closure following a notice from superiors.
- Related Reading: Report: Embracer Group Plans to Sell Gearbox Software
This news comes by way of VGC, who reported on it early this morning. According to their sources, employees of Free Radical were notified by Plaion (the Embracer division overseeing them) that the company was looking for alternate options as per UK employment law, but that there’s an imminent chance that the studio may be shut down entirely.
As VGC noted, 15 employees at Free Radical have already labeled themselves open for hire on LinkedIn and other platforms. Among these employees are a lead game designer, artists, and even an IT manager. It wouldn’t be surprising to see more of the team get ready to jump ship in case of the studio’s closing.
Prior to this news, Free Radical was set to make a new game in the TimeSplitters series. Fans of the beloved FPS were delighted to see a dead studio revived to bring back an amazing franchise. Now, there’s a good chance whatever they’ve been working on will never see the light of day.
Free Radical is the latest in a long line of Embracer casualties. Back in September, Crystal Dynamics suffered numerous layoffs at the hands of the Swedish holding company. Before them, beloved studio Volition was closed by Embracer after 30 years of operation. Even Embracer’s senior management seems to be losing faith, as their COO stepped down just this week to form his own studio.
We’ve said it a million times, and we’ll say it a million more: this sucks. It’s a really frightening time for the game industry. It’s hard to imagine that devs can their jobs well when the constant threat of being let go hangs over them. We can only hope that the trend of job losses slows down soon.
When we find out what Embracer does next, we’ll be sure to let our readers know.
Source: VGC