Free Radical Design reportedly facing closure as Embracer cost-cutting continues

Another victim of the ongoing restructuring program

Update (Dec. 11, 2023): It appears that Free Radical Design has been fully closed down now. Developers have been posting goodbye messages all day on social media and an error message that is depicted upon navigating to the official website of the studio is saying "404 Company Not Found :-(" now.

This confirms earlier reports about the studio's imminent closure, which is part of the large-scale job cuts and studio closures conducted in Embracer Group's ongoing restructuring program.

The goodbye message shown on the Free Radical website / Free Radical Design

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Original (Nov. 8, 2023): It looks like Free Radical Design, a studio that was re-established two years ago, is the next developer under the umbrella of Embracer Group facing closure, according to VGC.

Based in Nottingham, UK, the studio was supposed to revive the old TimeSplitters series, but may now close down before getting a release out of the door. Consultations with the employees, which are required by UK law to last at least 30 days before actively making redundancies, are apparently already underway and things appear to be quite bleak with many workers having started to look for new positions.

Free Radical Design is reportedly facing closure / Free Radical Design

Embracer Group has been closing down studios left and right over the course of its ongoing cost-cutting program: Volition was closed down after delivering a failure with Saints Row and in a move very similar to the one made on Free Radical Design, newly established studio Campfire Cabal was axed before it could ever release a game. It was supposed to take over development of the Expeditions series.

The Swedish gaming powerhouse infamously went on a shopping spree in recent years that saw it acquire several development studios as well as high-profile IP like Tomb Raider and Lord of the Rings.

If Free Radical Design is closed down, this would put further pressure on the job market for game developers in the UK, which is already getting swamped due to layoffs at Creative Assembly, Frontier Developments, and Media Molecule.