Crytek retains TimeSplitters IP

Deep Silver recently rescued Crytek UK and its current project, Homefront: The Revolution, amidst Crytek’s financial troubles, but the Nottingham studio’s best known property is still owned by the Crysis firm.

We reported last week that Deep Silver – the publishing and development arm of Koch Media – has acquired the Homefront IP, opened a new UK developer called Dambuster Studios and plans to continue work on the recently announced Homefront: The Revolution.

The team from Crytek UK, the game’s original developer, will be brought over to Dambuster Studios, although it’s still not 100 per cent clear whether or not Crytek UK still exists in any way.

Now Polygon is reporting that Crytek is retaining the rights to the TimeSplitters franchise, an IP that was originally created by Free Radical, the studio that was rebranded as Crytek UK when the German firm acquired it back in 2009.

"The TimeSplitters IP did not come with the deal – it was only for the Homefront IP," a Deep Silver spokesperson confirmed.

Crytek has been suffering a number of financial issues in recent months, and its UK studio bore the brunt of this. We reported that Crytek UK staff had not been paid full wages between April and June, and word spread of a mass walkout at the studio.

Crytek secured funding last week that will assist with its fiscal problems.