TimeSplitters 4 rises from the grave thanks to eBay
It looks as though a build of the now-canned TimeSplitters 4 could be coming to the internet very soon, all after one eBay listing has hinted at a PS3 prototype for the game.
04th Mar 2024 16:55
Images via Free Radical Design
TimeSplitters 4 rises from the grave thanks to eBay
It looks as though a build of the now-canned TimeSplitters 4 could be coming to the internet very soon, all after one eBay listing has hinted at a PS3 prototype for the game.
04th Mar 2024 16:55
Images via Free Radical Design
Video game preservation has certainly seen better days. The industry's turn toward digital-only games is a threat to actually "owning" the games you pay for, and as some companies pull titles from online stores never to be seen again, we're entering an era where there is no legitimate and legal way to play a game.
If games slip through the fingers of illegal emulators, they're seemingly lost forever. Some are lost before they even have the chance to arrive, with company closures shuttering projects that never came to life. One of those games may be about to make its way online - yes, TimeSplitters 4 is back.
TimeSplitters 4 is dead - but eBay could rescue it
The closure of Free Radical Design was incredibly sad when it happened in December 2023 as part of a horrible trend of companies tanking in the face of an increasingly expensive gaming industry. It served as a pretty big hit to long-term fans of the TimeSplitters franchise.
The bizarre shooter was gearing up for one hell of a comeback in TimeSplitters 4, but when the company went under, so did the development of the title. However, it looks like there's a chance we could see the game's footage soon.
One Reddit user recently found a PS3 test console on eBay, and they discovered that baked into the console is what appears to be a prototype for Free Radical's TimeSplitters 4. We could be in for footage of the game hitting the internet very soon as a result - or better yet, the game itself.
With TimeSplitters lying dormant since the release of TimeSplitters: Future Perfect in 2005, it's long overdue a reprieve. It now looks like this could be the case, with eBay serving as the surprise lifeline the franchise needs.
The TimeSplitters 4 owner could be uploading the build soon
In the comments, players have wondered how the user stumbled upon a test console that features the presumably unfinished game. They've added, "[The seller is] going to boot the game up at the weekend to see what it is and send me a video, if it's legit I'll buy it and if someone who knows HDD dumping helps me I'll upload the drive."
If the original poster won't snatch up the PlayStation, someone else will, and chances are, they'll be so kind as to upload the game online, too. We may have suffered the loss of TimeSplitters 4 and the brilliant Free Radical team, but at least their work may yet live on.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
