 Free Radical Design in trouble, Office locks changed, staff turned away |
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 Dec 18 2008, 12:15 PM
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#1
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Group: Members Posts: 11,537 Joined: 7-July 04  |
Treat this as a rumour for now, but according to someone on the Eurogamer forums this morning, FRD might be toast.
QUOTE The locks were changed yesterday, and security is outside the offices not letting people in. Is this finally goodbye to FRD? Good luck to everyone there. Shit time of year for it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) QUOTE My source? The people at the Holiday Inn next door to the offices just wanting to know why they've been locked out... http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_post...342&start=0 Does anyone know anything about this? (Mods, obviously if this turns out to be bullshit, delete the topic or change the title.) |
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Dec 18 2008, 12:17 PM
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#2
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Group: Members Posts: 23,285 Joined: 1-April 03 |
Wasn't their last title Timesplitters 3?
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Dec 18 2008, 12:17 PM
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#3
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Group: Moderators+ Posts: 11,002 Joined: 15-September 05 |
Probably didn't help that Haze sold about 8 copies
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Dec 18 2008, 12:17 PM
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#4
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Group: Members Posts: 9,135 Joined: 31-March 03 |
Similar info on a dev forum, so doesn't look like bullshit.
Shame. |
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Dec 18 2008, 12:18 PM
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#5
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Group: Members Posts: 3,417 Joined: 19-May 03 |
Not that surprising, I heard a few weeks ago they were in financial trouble. Disappointing if true though.
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Dec 18 2008, 12:19 PM
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#6
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Group: Members Posts: 23,285 Joined: 1-April 03 |
QUOTE (Joyrex-J9 @ Dec 18 2008, 01:17 PM)  Probably didn't help that Haze sold about 8 copies Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. |
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Dec 18 2008, 12:19 PM
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#7
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Group: Members Posts: 4,110 Joined: 5-January 07 |
I know their QA department got canned a few weeks ago, as well as a bunch of people from other departments. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it's true. Haze didn't exactly make them much money (since company bonuses were based on Metacritic aggregates), and with Lucasarts canning a bunch of their own staff recently, perhaps they're unwilling to keep throwing cash at FRD for the 'secret project'.
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Dec 18 2008, 12:20 PM
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#8
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Group: Members Posts: 57,597 Joined: 1-October 03 |
I thought they signed a big deal with Lucasarts? Surely that would secure them. Unless Lucasarts pulled out I guess.
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Dec 18 2008, 12:22 PM
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#9
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Group: Moderators+ Posts: 11,002 Joined: 15-September 05 |
I liked Timesplitters 2, perhaps they should have put Timespliters 4 out, rather than that so generic it's almost original tat that was Haze
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Dec 18 2008, 12:22 PM
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#10
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Group: Members Posts: 11,537 Joined: 7-July 04 |
QUOTE (Ste Pickford @ Dec 18 2008, 12:17 PM) Similar info on a dev forum, so doesn't look like bullshit. Shame. Shit. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) |
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Dec 18 2008, 12:22 PM
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#11
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Group: Members Posts: 1,576 Joined: 28-June 04 |
QUOTE (Soong @ Dec 18 2008, 12:20 PM) I thought they signed a big deal with Lucasarts? Surely that would secure them. Unless Lucasarts pulled out I guess. I thought they were making Star Wars: Battlefront 3. I hope that game gets made by someone, whatever happens to FRD. |
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Dec 18 2008, 12:23 PM
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#12
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Group: Members Posts: 23,285 Joined: 1-April 03 |
Oh, face it - they weren't great.
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Dec 18 2008, 12:23 PM
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#13
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Group: Members Posts: 57,597 Joined: 1-October 03 |
They used to be alright. I guess some left after TS2?
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Dec 18 2008, 12:24 PM
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#14
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Group: Members Posts: 11,840 Joined: 22-March 03 |
Oh dear. That's two companies my friend has joined that have gone under... sounds like he can't even soften the blow by pinching off with a few computers, consoles and games this time. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)
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Dec 18 2008, 12:24 PM
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#15
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Group: Members Posts: 3,619 Joined: 9-August 06 |
Aye it's going dooown or something. My colleague next to me used to work there and all his Free Radical ex-colleagues' Facebook statuses are like "oh my god life is shit" "dooom" "doesn't know what to say" etc.
:/ |
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Dec 18 2008, 12:24 PM
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#16
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Group: Members Posts: 20,188 Joined: 31-August 03 |
How many staff do/did they have?
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Dec 18 2008, 12:28 PM
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#17
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Group: Members Posts: 11,420 Joined: 20-March 03 |
Heard about this earlier. I've been hearing bad things about them for a while.
Apparently Dave Doak left them last month or something. He obviously saw it coming and got out with his money while he could. They had/have about 250 staff. I think that was the problem really. For what was essentially a per project company they were trying to be too big. |
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Dec 18 2008, 12:30 PM
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#18
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Group: Members Posts: 4,110 Joined: 21-September 06 |
I'm not sure they ever made a good game you know.
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Dec 18 2008, 12:32 PM
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#19
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Group: Members Posts: 408 Joined: 20-December 05 |
Regardless of their output, it's a real shame to see them going down so close to Xmas. If only because of Goldeneye (which I'm replaying at the moment, and it's still brilliant) I always wanted them to succeed.
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Dec 18 2008, 12:32 PM
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#20
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Group: Members Posts: 23,285 Joined: 1-April 03 |
Three rubbish, slammed-together Timesplitters games, one genuine atrocity in Second Sight, and... Haze.
lol |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 9th February 2010 - 09:43 AM |