TimeSplitters Rewind, the fan-made recreation of TimeSplitters 1, 2 and 3 multiplayer that has been in development since 2013, has resurfaced with its first update video throughout the year, offering a new look at the project and a call urgent help. as its developers find themselves in an “incredibly challenging space” due to the current state of the industry.
The TimeSplitters Rewind team obtained permission to create the new multiplayer version in 2012, from then-rights holder Crytek UK. Since then, its volunteer developers have continued to work on the project in their spare time, intermittently offering video updates on their progress. The groups most recent video – the first since December 2022 – describes itself as a “heartfelt discussion”, mixing images of its maps in progress with a call for development aid.
“The state of the games industry,” explains lead writer Jake 'The Voice' Parr in the video, “has put our developers in an incredibly challenging space where Rewind cannot be a focus for them. Whether “Whether it's possible layoffs, an increasingly difficult job market, or, in the case of TimeSplitters, some changes in the intellectual property landscape.”
TimeSplitters Rewind | March 2024: Candid discussion video“The fact that TimeSplitters is a free project means it can't be cutting edge for people,” Parr continues. “This has always been the case, but specifically over the last year it has been especially true.”
In this sense, the Rewind team needs “more help and a more refined approach” to polish the experience and bring it to the finish line. As such, he looks for everything from character artists and environment artists to technical designers and animators. “We cannot overstate our need for help to make this first version the best it can be,” adds Parr.
According to the update, Rewind's environments currently range from finished to “functional,” while the Spaceways map is “long overdue.” The project also needs new characters and music assets, as well as weapon animations, and the developer says it doesn't have enough help to prioritize anything beyond resources at this time, noting: “Unless we have changes to the composition of our team, the representation of TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect can be quite limited.”
There's no sign of a release date for TimeSplitters Rewind then, but notably, it's now the only TimeSplitters project in development following Embracer Group's decision last December to shut down developer Free Radical Design and cancel its new official game TimeSplitters. It has since been revealed that that project began as a Fortnite clone before morphing into an expanded alternate universe version of the classic TimeSplitters 2.
