For the first time in years theres real hope there might be a new TimeSplitters, and maybe even a Second Sight 2 if fans are really lucky.
Strap yourself down because were about to embark on one of the complex and difficult tasks weve ever attempted: explaining the history of TimeSplitters.
TimeSplitters was a PlayStation 2 launch game by British developer Free Radical Design, a then new studio made up of many veterans from GoldenEye 007 on the N64.
The 2000 original was very much focused on multiplayer and as such was years ahead of its time in terms of console-based first person shooters. But it was never that successful and although it did get two multiformat sequels neither were they.
The last game was in 2005 and three years later Free Radical Design went bust but were saved from oblivion by Crysis publisher Crytek. However, in 2014 Crytek themselves got into financial trouble and they ended up selling Free Radical to Koch Media.
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Things get a bit hazy here, as it seems at this point Crytek hung onto TimeSplitters and Free Radicals other games. And so while Koch got the developer they didnt have the rights to their old games.
At this point Free Radical technically became a new company called Dambuster Studios and then further upheaval occurred when THQ Nordic bought Koch Media earlier this year (are you still following?).
The whole sorry story seems to have a happy ending though, as today THQ Nordic has announced that theyve acquired the rights to the TimeSplitters trilogy and Second Sight back from Crytek.
Haze, Free Radicals other game, wasnt part of the deal but thats probably because a) it was published by Ubisoft and b) its rubbish.
Unfortunately, the extremely brief press release doesnt give any clue as to what THQ Nordic is going to do with the rights but recently theyve been releasing remasters of all sorts of old games from other companies theyve acquired, ranging from Darksiders to de Blob.
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While most fans would probably want them to just skip ahead to a new TimeSplitters a remaster of Second Sight would be very welcome.
It was released in 2004, between the two TimeSplitters sequels, and while a sales flop its fondly remembered as a highly original stealth action game, with strong storytelling and some fun psychic powers.
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