GamesFPSAfter 16 years, the canceled FPS TimeSplitters 4 gets saved and preserved through a seemingly unremarkable eBay listing for a PS3 test consoleWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSAfter 16 years, the canceled FPS TimeSplitters 4 gets saved and preserved through a seemingly unremarkable eBay listing for a PS3 test consoleWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Free Radical Design/Free Radical Archive)
A prototype of Free Radical’s canceled FPS sequel TimeSplitters 4 has been found and preserved online, all thanks to one observant collector who spotted a tiny detail in what seemed like an unremarkable eBay listing for a PS3 test console.
Earlier this month,Reddit user Flimsy-Zebra3775posed a question to r/PS3 members: “Is this a prototype game?” (Thanks,Time Extension). Included in that post was an image from an eBay listing for a PS3 test console - one that showed a logo for TimeSplitters 4. “It’s from a reputable normal eBay seller,” Flimsy-Zebra3775explained. “They were as surprised as me when I asked them about it.”
After some back and forth with the seller, Flimsy-Zebra3775 learned that “they indeed had a friend who worked at Free Radical until November 2008, a month before the studio shut down.” A video seemed to prove that the prototype was legit, and Flimsy-Zebra3775 quickly bought it and got in contact with preservationists to ensure the game could be archived. “£525 down but for history and my collection it’s worth it,“they joked.
This newly preserved prototype, which you can check out over onHidden Palace, appears to be the same one Free Radical was shopping to publishers at the time it went under. It’s a pretty simple demo, featuring a single multiplayer map that you can populate with a variety of bots, but it does showcase the series' trademark visual charm, and the visuals look pretty impressive for a pre-release bit of PS3 software. If you want to play it yourself, you’ll need a modded PS3 to do so, since it currently crashes on the emulator RPCS3.
But the demo is probably of more historical than gameplay value for the average TimeSplitters fan, anyway. The preservation of this prototype has caused quite a stir among the game’s community, even prompting a response from Free Radical co-founder David Doak. “This is exactly the kind of nonsense that wasn’t interested in back in 2008,” Doak writes onTwitter. “You’re welcome.”
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This is the most substantial look we’ve had yet at what might have been TimeSplitters 4, though fan projects like theFree Radical Archivehave been collecting traces of concept art and teaser videos over the years. Still, it’s mostly been bad news for TimeSplitters fans in recent times. The Free Radical name eventually ended up under the Embracer Group banner, and the studio wasreformed a few years ago with several of its original creative leads aiming to helm a new TimeSplitters game. The new Free Radical was shut down in December 2023, amidEmbracer Group’s massive wave of cancellations, shut downs, and layoffs.
Back in 2022, aBattlefront 3 test build turned out to be an entirely different Star Wars game.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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4
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5
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