Timesplitters license acquired by Koch Media

The question of who owns the Timesplitters license has been answered – it’s Koch Media, as the publisher announced it picked up the rights to Free Radical’s FPS franchise today.

Deep Silver, Koch’s publishing label, will oversee the release of new games based on the IP – though further details are yet to be released. It should be noted that Deep Silver Dambuster – Timesplitters’ creators in its previous incarnation as Free Radical – is owned by Koch, so the franchise could well be reunited with the studio.

Admittedly Koch hasn’t clarified if Dambuster will be working on a new Timesplitters game – and there are very few (if any) staff members left at the studio who worked on the original PS2/Xbox/Gamecube trilogy.

The Timesplitters IP was one of the things Koch Media didn’t pick up when it bagged both Crytek UK (formerly Free Radical, now Dambuster) and the Homefront license back in 2014. No details have been released on how the license was acquired, or how much it cost. Regardless, the team at Dambuster has been clear – albeit in a sneaky way – about its desire to return to the classic time travelling franchise.

“We are hugely excited to have acquired Timesplitters,” said Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media, “The original games gave fans a massive content offer and provided a pure and genuinely fun arcade shooter experience. We have many fans of the Timesplitters series among our own staff who are passionate about creating a product that will thrill todays gaming audience.”

Along with Timesplitters, Koch Media also acquired the rights for Second Sight – another Free Radical title – again announcing projects using the license would follow.