It was one of the most beloved shooters of the mid-noughties, but TimeSplitters 4 still hasn’t materialized. That, however, could all be about to change. Recent positive moves on the rights ownership front has paved the way for whispers about a TimeSplitters 4 release date, as well as rumblings about a possible TimeSplitters remake. We look at what could be possible for a potential sequel, especially now there are new TimeSplitters 4 developers in town, ones with a great deal of respect for series creators Free Radical.
When Is the TimeSplitters 4 Release Date?
Right now, nothing is currently in the works in regards to TimeSplitters 4 but, for the first time in a long time, the franchise is no longer dormant. Koch Media has announced that THQ Nordic now owns the rights to the franchise, which also gives them permission to “create video games” under the TimeSplitters banner.
That being said, the move towards a PS5 and new Xbox is gaining speed. The ninth generation of consoles may be the best place for Timesplitters 4. If that’s the case, expect a 2021 release date at the earliest.
Who Is Developing TimeSplitters 4?
THQ Nordic is currently in charge of developing a potential TimeSplitters 4 title. It has some pedigree, too. Alongside Deep Silver, the publishing wing of Koch Media, which also owns THQ Nordic, the developers’ makeup can be traced back to Free Radical itself, the developers of the original TimeSplitters series.
Additionally, Koch Media’s statement makes pointed reference to the reverence the company holds for its forebears.
“We have many fans of the TimeSplitters series among our own staff who are passionate about creating a product that will thrill todays gaming audience,” explained Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz.
Deep Silver’s recent catalogue of publishing titles include the Metro and Dead Island series, plus the likes of Saints Row 4, thus proving it knows how to handle shooters with a bit more character.
THQ Nordic, meanwhile, can include Darksiders 3 among its oeuvre as well as, tellingly, remasters of Red Faction: Guerrilla, and De Blob.
Will There Be a TimeSplitters Remake?
Given the popularity of retro remakes over the last few years, and THQ Nordic’s own history of remakes, the possibility of a TimeSplitters remake is something even Koch Media can’t ignore. But how likely is that to happen?
TimeSplitters Rewind, a fan-made remake of the original TimeSplitters, has been in the works for numerous years now with the group releasing a developer update toward the end of last year. A likely sign of a remake being in the works is usually news of a fan project being shut down to avoid confusion or damaging sales. This hasn’t happened for TimeSplitters Rewind from what we know, but given Koch Media only obtained the rights to the franchise back in August, there’s still plenty of time for that news to break.
It’s too early to tell what Koch Media may be planning when it comes to a TimeSplitters remake. The company ended its acquisition statement by saying “full details of future TimeSplitters products with be revealed in due time”, so an early 2019 reveal, remake or otherwise, may be on the cards.
Is TimeSplitters 4 Coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch?
So can we expect to see TimeSplitters return to both Xbox One and PS4? If not, the most likely scenario is with the title releasing on Microsoft and Sony’s as-yet-unannounced consoles/
TimeSplitters originally released on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, meaning Free Radical (the developers of the original titles) didn’t sell the rights to the franchise over to any one first-party publisher at that time. The tenuous Nintendo link, too, may lead fans to clamor for a TimeSplitters 4 Nintendo release.
Unless one of the big console makers steps in with a case full of cash looking for some kind of exclusivity deal, there’s a good chance any TimeSplitters remake or sequel will share the multiplatform nature of the series’ past.
TimeSplitters 4 Multiplayer
The TimeSplitters franchise made a name for itself as a quirky shooter, and its multiplayer modes certainly helped. At a time when online play was still something of a luxury, TimeSplitters multiplayer was primarily a splitscreen affair shared between friends, involving multiplayer modes such as Virus and Monkey Hunt. Expect those sorts of modes, which characterised the game’s unique twist on shooters, to make a return if TimeSplitters 4 does indeed become a reality.
Split screen, though, as a feature started to die off with the Xbox 360 console generation, but the popularity of the Nintendo Switch and its approach to local multiplayer and the nostalgia of the TimeSplitters legacy could see Koch Media actively look at using split screen multiplayer as a major selling point of TimeSplitters 4 or a TimeSplitters remake.
