Canceled TimeSplitters Next Gameplay Footage Revealed By Devs

A former Free Radical dev has recently shared gameplay footage from the canceled “TimeSplitters Next” project. The video —spanning five minutes— was initially uploaded on LinkedIn before the post was allegedly taken down. However, it has been rehosted on Streamable for all the curious and disgruntled fans to see. The in-dev title deeply adopted a slew of elements and UI from Fortnite, which can be seen in the gameplay footage.

The gameplay footage was recorded in July 2023, five months before its development was completely halted. The gameplay is quite nostalgic for the TimeSplitters franchise fans since it showed many returning elements, like fan-favorite characters, notable weapons, and the like.

However, the fans have also expressed disappointment. The project was more like a Fortnite clone than anything else during mid-development, but a concrete decision for its direction was eventually made by the devs.

The Transition From Fortnite Clone To TimeSplitters 2 Reboot

As per a dev interview, TimeSplitters Next was initially developed to be like Fortnite in its gameplay. However, it was later turned into the anticipated TimeSplitters 2 Reboot. The transition happened before the entire project and the studio was brought down by Embracer Group. It held a lot of significance for fans, so many mourned its death when the devs revealed a bundle of assets and concept art.

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The FPS TimeSplitters has stood out to be a remarkable trilogy in the past. I find it unsurprising that Free Radical wanted to celebrate the nostalgia by releasing the TS2 reboot. However, even it was not safe from the restructuring attempts by Embracer Group.