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Free Radical Design
From The TimeSplitters Wiki
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== External Links == | == External Links == | ||
*[http://www.frd.co.uk Free Radical's Website] | *[http://www.frd.co.uk Free Radical's Website] | ||
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Current revision as of 22:09, 16 December 2007
| Free Radical Design Ltd | |
|---|---|
 The current logo.  The original logo until 2006. | |
| Also Known As | -FRD -Free Radical |
| Role | Developer |
| Founded | April 1999 |
| Key People | Dr David Doak (Manager) Steve Ellis (Manager) |
| Products | Haze Second Sight TimeSplitters TimeSplitters 2 TimeSplitters: Future Perfect |
Free Radical Design are the developers of the whole TimeSplitters series, led by David Doak and Steve Ellis, who both along with Graeme Norgate and Karl Hilton broke off from developer Rare in February 1999 to form their own company.
With a team of only eighteen, Free Radical shipped and delivered the 1st person shooter TimeSplitters to Eidos for the PS2 launch in October 2000. Despite the time constraints and pressures of building the company and its technology from scratch, they were the only European developer to hit the launch date without any delays.
Constantly seeking to improve themselves and their games, TimeSplitters 2 went into development with an emphasis on evolving the theme with a fuller story and an even more satisfying single player mode. Along side this expansion, the multiplayer and mapmaker elements pushed the quality and replay value to new heights. Once again, Free Radical delivered. True to form, TimeSplitters 2 came in on time and on budget for Eidos in September 2002. It was met enthusiastically by some of the best reviews of its time.
By now, Free Radical's team had grown to twenty-eight. Working closely with their new additions, the Directors decided to develop a new 3rd person Intellectual Property in the form of psychic thriller Second Sight - to be published by Codemasters on PS2, Xbox, Gamecube and PC.
Tempted by EA into returning to the TimeSplitters franchise, Free Radical's ever-expanding team set to work on TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. Along side the innumerable extra features that fans had come to expect, the single player story took their experience to new ground. Expanding one of the most striking heroes from TimeSplitters 2, the story took man's man 'Cortez' through the complex maze of time continuum - utilising the unique 'meet yourself' gameplay.
Over the years Free Radical Design has received numerous awards and nominations including CTW Developer of the Year 2001, the DEVELOP Industry Excellence award for Best Independent Development Studio in 2003, along with five BAFTA nominations for TimeSplitters 2 in 2004, and two BAFTA nominations for Second Sight in 2005. Furthermore, they were listed in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 as one of the UK's fastest growing technology companies.
Of the four games produced by Free Radical, the average number of units sold per game is well over a million. With a dozen awards and many nominations under their belt, Free Radical are not resting on their laurels. Their hundred-strong team is chomping at the bit - with new technology comes amazing new challenges, and amazing is what Free Radical does best.
Notable Employees
| Name | Role | Where have I seen him? | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Doak | Director/Head | Interviews Galore! | www.frd.co.uk |
| Steve Ellis | Director/Head | Written Interviews | www.frd.co.uk |
| Karl Hilton | Director/Head of Art | Written Interviews | www.frd.co.uk |
| Graeme Norgate | Music and Sounds | FRD's Articles | www.graemenorgate.com |
| Christian Marcussen | Music | A few TS forums | www.marcussenmusic.com |
| David Conley | Programmers | On ts3.net as RealWorld666 | www.frd.co.uk |
| Derek Littlewood | Creative Director of Haze | On the Haze forums as FRD_Neko | www.frd.co.uk |
