Independent UK games studio, Free Radical Design, has gone into administration, it has been confirmed.

The company, best known for it's award winning TimeSplitters series and FPS Haze, had been rumoured to be dying for a few months now - rumours that Free Radical's director, Steve Ellis, has strenuously denied.

"Nothing unusual is happening here," Ellis claimed. "Projects end. New projects start. That's how things have worked for nearly 10 years". Even a few days later, when rumours were spreading like wildfire, Ellis was adamant. "We certainly won't be laying off any staff today. Or, for that matter, any time in 2008.

"If something happens in 2009 I'm sure we'll be prepared to comment - but from where I'm sitting, whatever happens is far more likely to be positive than negative".

Ellis' optimistic outlook on the company's future hasn't turned out to be the kosher truth, however. Resolve, an administration company, confirmed that Free Radical Design had gone into administration.

"We will be spending the next three or four days assessing the financial position of the company but it's business as usual, although we have asked that almost all of the employees apart from a skeleton crew remain at home," commented a spokesperson from Resolve.

"All employees have been paid up until the end of December," the spokesman continued, "and we hope to make another announcement before Christmas or very soon thereafter, but we must stress at this stage that it's business as usual".

Free Radical Design, who recently suffered a blow after it's hotly anticipated FPS, Haze, was badly received by the gaming world, was thought to be developing both Star Wars Battlefront III for Lucasarts as well as the fourth installment in the companies own baby, the Timesplitters series.

It is believed that around forty staff are still active at Free Radical, compared to the 185 there were before the company slumped. The remaining employees, however, are thought to be working on concepts into 2009.

I'd like to sign off by wishing Free Radical the best of luck during their time of crisis.

Linford

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