Embracer closes Timesplitters studio Free Radical in 'another difficult decision'

Free Radical Design, the studio behind the iconic Timesplitters series, has been shut down as part of Embracer Group's ongoing restructuring.

Plaion, the Embracer subsidiary responsible for Free Radical, issued a statement to VGC confirming the sad news. "It's with a heavy heart that we must announce yet another difficult decision. Today, we have to confirm the official closure of Free Radical Design, and say goodbye to many remarkable, talented, and hard-working people."

The statement then goes on to address the laid-off employees more directly. “We are beyond grateful for their incredible contributions to Plaion and wish them the best of luck and success on their professional journey from here on out.” 

Reports surrounding the potential closure of Free Radical Design have been circulating since November. Lars Wingefors, CEO of Embracer Group, reportedly said over email that the studio might be closed in "a challenging time for all of us but especially for you."

This all comes as part of a wider 'restructuring' effort on the part of Embracer. In a November interview, Embracer Group's interim chief strategy officer, Phil Rogers, stated that restructuring is "how we win." He claimed that these efforts would make Embracer "leaner, stronger, more focused and - critically - cash self-sufficient.

"There's a lot of it going around the industry at the moment of restructuring, but the downside, obviously, is the impact on people. It's something Embracer really feels for."

Free Radical hasn't been the only studio on the chopping block. Insurgency developer New World and Fishlabs have suffered numerous layoffs and there are reports that the conglomerate is seeking to sell Gearbox Entertainment, the studio behind Borderlands.

2023 has also been a terrible year for layoffs across the industry more generally, too. We've also seen redundancies at EA, PlayStation, Bungie, and Ubisoft reflecting turbulent times across gaming.

Though this has been a painful year for industry layoffs, we've also seen a range of excellent titles drop this year, including some of the best RPGs and best single-player games ever made.