The acquisition by Crytek seems to be going great for Free Radical, er, Crytek UK. Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has revealed that they've pretty much given the developer free reign in what projects they're pursuing.

As it turns out, neither Codemasters, Monumental, or those interested companies outside the video game industry were able to buy Free Radical Design. Instead, Germany-based Crytek was the one who ponied up the cash to get their hands on the Haze and TimeSplitters developer.

It looks like Free Radical - and, by extension, the TimeSplitters series which a lot of you readers seem to be fans of - may still have a future after all.

You know he's evil because he has creepy, yellow eyes that stare at you from beneath a dark hood. That just screams Palpatine. But wait, that's not Palpatine, it's... Obi-Wan Kenobi? Looks like Free Radical was planning to put a twist on an old story (and an old Jedi) for Star Wars: Battlefront 3. Too bad they got axed before we could see more.

With Free Radical biting the dust, some footage for their cancelled Star Wars: Battlefront 3 game has just reached the Internet. We hear this footage was taken from an alpha meeting with the team - now since this is from alpha, that means it's taken from an early build of the game. Though that might be the case, it does sure look impressive as it is (err, was). It's a shame, really. Too bad we'll never see what Battlefront 3 will eventually look like would it have been released in the future. *sniff*

Slowly but surely, the new TimeSplitters game is getting more and more developments. And today, we've got an oh-so-teaseriffic teaser trailer rootin'-and-tootin' with none other than Sir Chipalot. That and a wallpaper too!

Free Radical is asking you folks where you want TimeSplitters 4 to be released. Yes, they actually have a poll for it going on in their site, and they want you to make the decision for them.

 

It wasn't so long ago when Free Radical announced that it was developing TimeSplitters 4. In our last report, we mentioned the game was still unsigned so it might end up on any next-gen console. From the ways things are looking, it might be the Wii.

While answering fan questions about the game, an employee from Free Radical hinted it may be released for the Wii but are still considering all of their options. The developers seemed rather partial to the console but still haven't made a final decision on what platform they will be releasing the title on.

While we may be misreading the signals they're sending out, comments such as "we love the Wii like Michael Jackson loves the children of the world" and "the Wii is as rad as a Ninja Turtle and a Cherry Coke combined" kind of support the general idea that they're seriously considering the console.

Free Radical gave word that the development of TimeSplitters 4 is going well. Hopefully we'll be hearing more about this game in the future because the monkeys have been getting restless.

Back in the day, abundant bloom was the coolest thing in the block. Now that developers have access to more powerful hardware, some gamers will call them lazy if a next-gen title doesn't have parallax mapping, high resolution rendering, and all that. Free Radical co-founder Dave Doak, however, would rather be creative than make generic eye-candy.

"A typical next-gen look has often got all the next-gen stuff like specular highlights and normal mapping turned up to the max... But if it's not turned up to 11, people think it's not next-gen enough," he said in a recent interview with PC Gamer in its issue # 180. Yet, the TimeSplitters series took a more cartoony approach over super-realistic graphics, and Doak seems to favor that style.

Even with powerful tools around, it looks like TimeSplitters will stay true to its roots. After giving Valve's Team Fortress 2 props for standing out, noting how developers are starting to ponder if they really have to do realistic rendering or go for a distinct look, he said:

TimeSplitters has always had that [distinct look] and it's something we want to go back and look at again, specifically taking that cartoon look and doing it with the interesting rendering you can do now [with next-gen].

We haven't heard much about TimeSplitters 4, but if Doak's words hold true, then we're getting more of the quirky first-person shooter that offered hours of fun. Who cares about complex physics engines and extremely detailed character models? Give us rocket launcher-wielding monkeys and we're sold.

One of the most anticipated FPS titles this year is Haze (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), but Free Radical has more in store for fans of new and old. The latest IP is sure to attract a wider audience, but loyal followers of TimeSplitters also have something to be happy about. After OPM UK revealed that a new TimeSplitters is in the works, Free Radical's Rob Yescombe confirmed that they're working hard on the fourth installation in the series.

"In the past TimeSplitters has been very satirical at the expense of movies, this time it will be satirical at the expense of video games," Yescombe told Kotaku. What crazy ideas they're planning with this promise, we do not know.

The game is still in very early stages of development, so no confirmations on which platform it will come out yet. All Yescombe could say was they're "unsigned at the moment." As long as the monkeys and hilarious weapons are back, we're all good.