Crytek: There Isn't Enough Interest in TimeSplitters 4

The Wooster

King Snap
Jul 15, 2008
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Crytek: There Isn't Enough Interest in TimeSplitters 4


Fans begging for TimeSplitters 4 have triggered a "deeper evaluation" of the IP.

TimeSplitters fans have been eagerly awaiting a new installment in the series since 2005's TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. After releasing the disastrous PS3 shooter, Haze, developer Free Radical went into administration, and was promptly bought out by Crytek and dubbed Crytek UK. Thus, fans have taken to pestering Crytek CEO, Cevat Yerli, for news on the series. Behavior he encourages by dropping hints that we might just see another TimeSplitters game [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117852-F2P-Timesplitters-4-Could-Happen-Probably-Wont], provided the fans want it enough.

According to Yerli, they don't. At least, not yet.

"I tested through my official blog to see how big the TimeSplitters community is, and while the volume of responses was quite high, we feel it's not high enough yet," he said during the tail end of an interview with VG247. "That being said, it did indeed trigger a deeper evaluation of what we do with TimeSplitters, and I can only say this for now; we might have some surprises coming soon."

Should we ever see another TimeSplitters title, it'll likely be very different from its predecessors. Earlier this year, Crytek announced that it would be dropping out of the retail games market following the release of Crysis 3. Instead, it'll be producing free-to-play and social games, like the upcoming (assuming you don't live in Russia [http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/26/warface-takes-a-shot-at-the-west-from-crytek-and-trion-worlds/]) Warface.

Source: VG247 [http://www.vg247.com/2012/08/07/crytek-interview-whats-next-for-games-development/]



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Snotnarok

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Nov 17, 2008
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The interest isn't that high because it's not been advertized very well, just say made by the original team who made Goldeneye and I'm sure there'll be interest coming up like crazy.
You know since the Golden Eye remake was just modernized anyway I'm sure Timesplitters 4 would be 10x closer to how it was.

Also you guys keep using the beta shots where Cortez is wearing some random suit that isn't in the game haha.

They keep teasing this, oh we're thinking about timesplitters, oh it's a thought, oh we're not sure the fans are there. blah.
 

Tanis

The Last Albino
Aug 30, 2010
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Why not make an HD COLLECTION, that's not crap like the Silent Hill one was, wuh???

This is a GREAT way of seeing if there's still ANY interest in the series and is a great way of introducing folks who may have missed it the first time around.
 

Issurru

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Jun 13, 2010
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How does one exactly "test" through his blog and expect to get real results? I never heard of anything like that, seems pretty stupid to me. Why not just do a announcement of "hey if you like timesplitters, do x" where x could be certain things like going to a website for timesplitters or some such.
Tanis said:
Why not make an HD COLLECTION, that's not crap like the Silent Hill one was, wuh???

This is a GREAT way of seeing if there's still ANY interest in the series and is a great way of introducing folks who may have missed it the first time around.
Or this, they could really just do that seeing as how it shouldn't take too much money to do, can test the waters of whether or not to make a new game and probably get some good PR out of it too.
 

Endocrom

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Apr 6, 2009
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Not enough intrest in a game with a monkey in a human sized steam-punk mech? IMPOSSEEBLAY!

This calls for a change of avatar, in 3, 2, 1
<--- boom
 

acosn

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Sep 11, 2008
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Of course there's lax interest in it. The franchise hasn't seen a release in seven years. That's 3 generations in normal console years, and it's only 2 because the current one has been drawn out past normal expectations. What's more, because its a fringe game of an exceedingly popular genre it hasn't aged well.


I mean seriously, anyone trying to pitch an FPS without regenerating heath and vehicles playing an afterthought would get eaten alive in the current market, and that's exactly what TimeSplitters has.
 

Shoggoth2588

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Aug 31, 2009
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a social, not-on-consoles, f-2-p Timesplitters 4...are we being trolled here? I'd love to see a new Timesplitters but I would be just as happy for an HD re-release of the older titles.
 

Marik Bentusi

Senior Member
Aug 20, 2010
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This sounds dangerous. If the demand is there, but not high enough to suggest mainstream appeal, chances are they're gonna revive it if Crysis 3 makes a good amount of money, but that Timesplitters will be "mainstreamlined" in order to ensure it sells well.

Then it won't sell well because the new game and its old fanbase aren't all that compatible, and since many the things TS could've done to stick out have been eliminated as dangerous risks, it won't get much mainstream attention from people new to the franchise either.

And then who knows who's daring enough to revive the franchise.
 

DustyDrB

Made of ticky tacky
Jan 19, 2010
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I don't know, man. Maybe you should try to like, uh, market it? Some companies revive niche franchises, making the new games drastically different to what they were before. The 2007 Shadowrun is a great example. It had been a loooooooong time since there had been a Shadowrun before that, but they still went with that brand despite the new game bearing little resemblance to the old ones. Why? Because they are so certain it is better to use an established franchise, even one that is niche (or has become niche over time). Same thing is happening with XCOM, I believe.

So are you really saying you can't convince yourselves the Timesplitters name won't sell?

What they're really saying: "We're just into making massive budget AAA games now, so thanks but no thanks". I don't know. I've seen some great games lately that were made on relatively very modest budgets. I can't believe they couldn't have that sort of success with Timesplitters.
 

BreakfastMan

Scandinavian Jawbreaker
Jul 22, 2010
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Somebody get Irridium in here. He will flip his lid over this. :p

OT: Quite high? That sounds high enough to me. Get on that stuff, and everyone will love you forever. Shooters are big now. Multiplayer is big now. As long as it is awesome, how can you lose? The correct answer: you can't lose.
 

jmarquiso

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Nov 21, 2009
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So he performed an informal survey on his official blog (which, out of the 1000+ blogs on my Google Reader, over 400 of which are devoted to game developers, I'm surprised I never heard of), and that's how he makes his decision? By the deepest fans of him, and not - say - Free Radical?
 

Trishbot

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May 10, 2011
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I've never even played Timesplitters and at this point I want the game to exist so I can see what all the fuss was about.
 

Keepeas

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Jul 10, 2011
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I liked Timesplitters!
...although, it would seem kind of out of place now...It was a memorable game from my 7th grade.
 

GenGenners

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Jul 25, 2012
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Just give me a (not sucky) HD trilogy re-release.

Given Crytek's style, their social/F2P future, the fact that most if not all of the old Free Radical team is gone and the current industry's state in general, a Timesplitters 4 will undoubtedly suck all kinds man-parts.

I mean, the guy responsible for Timesplitters, David Doak, is now one the freaking MILLIONS of devs making crappy Facebook games. Timesplitters is officially dead. Asking Crytek to revive it is just going to lead to a terrible game that will forever stain the franchise's reputation.
 

weirdee

Swamp Weather Balloon Gas
Apr 11, 2011
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This evaluation is about as scientific as when Capcom axed MML3 before they ran the actual experiment to see if people were interested due to supposed lack of interest.

It's not clear whether or not this information is actually relevant....to judge the real demand, just start saying you're planning to make it, in some official capacity, where people can actually EFFING SEE the announcement and the news sites start barfing it everywhere, and then see how the real reaction goes.

Also, I just googled "timesplitters blog" right now, and all the hits come up for....the article, and all of the articles referring to the article, instead of the actual blog. I go to Crytek's website, search "timesplitters", and I do not get a hit. Perhaps I need to search in a specific way.

But I shouldn't HAVE to.

Perhaps somebody needs to go back to marketing classes?