Tag Archives: free radical design

Some chap – “Borman18” – has posted a full hour’s worth of Battlefront III gameplay on YouTube, as you can see below. Free Radical was working on this before the studio was closed in 2009 and bought by Crytek. There’s a great deal of content in this movie. Read it and weep. Or watch it and weep. Or just weep, OK?

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Crytek’s plans to enter the console market have been accelerated with the purchase of UK dev Free Radical,
GI reports.

“We always planned to enter the console market and it was part of our strategy even before the acquisition. This step will certainly bring us forward a bit faster to achieve our goal to develop high quality games on consoles,” said Crytek chief Cevat Yerli.

Free Radical Design was working on TimeSplitters 4 before falling into administration last year, but Crytek would not comment on specific projects, stating that “at the moment we’re looking into all possibilities and haven’t decided anything yet.”

Despite constant rumours, console versions of Crysis have never been confirmed.

More through there.

A very reliable “insider source” has told videogaming247 that Star Wars Battlefront 3 is heading back to Pandemic’s studios in Los Angeles, California.

Pandemic Studios and LucasArts developed the first Battlefront back 2004, with the sequel coming out just a year later.

However, inside of 12 months of Battlefront II’s release, Free Radical Design announced that it would be making a third title in the series. The project was dropped late last year amid FRDs financial difficulties.

Yesterday, alpha footage leaked onto the net that another one our VG247′s contacts told us that footage was indeed real.

We have contacted EA, who owns Pandemic Studios, but as of yet have not been able to reach the publisher for comment.

VG247 is told that this is pretty nailed on, so expect an announcement sooner rather than later.

By Mike Bowden

A VG247 insider source informed us this morning that yesterday’s leaked Battlefront 3 footage is indeed real.

“It’s real enough, looks like a compilation of footage from sometime last year,” said the source to videogaming247, confirming that it indeed come from the alleged internal alpha meeting back in November.

The footage (below) looks really rather good, so we’re a bit gutted that Star Wars Battlefront 3 has seemingly been put on hold for the time being.

By Mike Bowden

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Kotaku‘s got hold of what it says is some leaked footage of Free Radical’s Star Wars Battlefront 3.

The footage was apparently taken from an internal alpha meeting with Free Radical back in November.

Free Radical Design was put up for sale last year and subsequently cut its workforce from 140 to 40 in a bid to keep its head above water.

Footage after the break.

By Mike Bowden

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In continuation of a claim made early December last year, administrator ReSovle Partners has told GI that interest in the purchase of Free Radical is still “very strong.”

“At this stage interest has been very strong,” said ReSovle’s Cameron Gunn.

“We’re advertising the business and assets for sale and there’s been some significant interest expressed from all over the world, so we’re now in the process of exploring that interest.

“The sale process itself will take a few weeks to run through, so we are thinking at this stage probably towards the end of January we should be in a better position to know whether or not we’ve got a decent sale – mid to late January,” he added.

Free Radical Design cut its workforce from 140 to 40 on December 31 in a bid to stay afloat.

More through the GI link.

By Mike Bowden

As reported by Edge, Free Radical’s administrator – Resolve – has claimed there’s already been good interest in buying the developer.

“We are very confident that we will achieve a sale if we decide to market the business,” said spokesman for Resolve, Cameron Gunn.

“It’s a testament to the employees and the regard of the company that a significant interest has already been shown.”

That report says that “well over 100” people have already left the firm, and that a number of companies were in Free Radical’s home city of Nottingham yesterday to pay condolences and network with the staff.

Realtime Worlds, Codemasters, Monumental and Eurocom all had a presence in the area, according to sources.

Free Radical was confirmed as having gone into administration last night. Staff arrived at the company’s offices to find them locked yesterday.

Administrator Resolve Partners has confirmed that Free Radical has not specifically closed, but is instead in administration.

Cameron Gunn, a spokesperson for Resolve, told ThisIsNottingham: “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.”

The developer has 185 staff.

As has been reported throughout the day, staff arrived at work this morning to find a note of the company’s door telling them to meet in a local hotel.

Co-founders Dave Doak and Steve Ellis are rumoured to be starting another firm.

Thanks Shacknews and Hunam.

Multiple sources have confirmed to VG247 that Free Radical is, indeed, closed.

Edge has posted up a lengthy account of recent events at the firm from what looks to be a good source. Apparently founder Dave Doak left earlier this month, and is now in the process of setting up a new developer with co-founder Steve Ellis called Pumpkin Beach.

Free Radical was working on Battlefront III for LucasArts until recently, but the project was pulled, supposedly relocating at Rebellion.

Haze is cited by the Edge source as being the final nail in the coffin, along with the failure to seal the deal with Lucas.

“They had already started working on TimeSplitters 4, and had been for over a year, but due to the failure of Haze and the deal falling through with Lucas, they couldn’t get a publisher to back them,” said the source.

“They had a last ditch attempt last week down South somewhere, but it came to nothing so I think that was the last hope.”

The gossiper continued: “People have been leaving in droves due to lack of security, poor treatment of staff, better offers and guaranteed work from other local developers such as Monumental Games and one in Derby whose name escapes me [Rebellion has a Derby location - Ed].”

To the 150-200 staff now looking at a salary-free Christmas – we salute you.

Thanks, Blerk.

Word’s spreading that Free Radical may have closed its doors.

The UK developer currently isn’t answering its phone.

Free Rad’s known to be working on Star Wars: Battlefront 3 and TimeSplitters 4.

Know what’s going on? Let us know.

Thanks, Hunam.

Update: CVG’s reporting that FRD’s Christmas party wasn’t the most pleasant of affairs. It doesn’t sound good.

Update 2: We’ve been told staff have congregated at a nearby hotel after finding the developer locked this morning. GI’s saying the same thing, and has posted the closure as fact.

Update 3: Just got this from a developer source:

“They changed the locks yesterday, and turned up today to find the place shut and locked up this morning. They are all waiting to find out exactly whats going on and IF the company still exists in some way, or if this is the end of the line.

Shitty thing to happen this close to Xmas, and Haze aside, to one of the best devs in England.”

Update 4: It’s just been confirmed by a solid source to VG247 that Free Rad lost the Battlefront project months ago. Rebellion’s rumoured to have picked it up, but we can’t confirm that. Our source says the developer was “struggling” to find a publishing deal for TimeSplitters 4.

Update 5: And that’s that, pretty much.