THQ Nordic would tease a TimeSplitters 2 remake

A remake of the classic PS2 shooter TimeSplitters 2 would be teased in a new THQ Nordic RTS title.

SpellForce 3: Fallen God released on PC last week, and players have since discovered that several in-game items can be acquired, referencing upcoming and released THQ Nordic titles.

Articles include Biomutant, Gothic Remake, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom’s remaster and “TimeSplitters 2 Remake”.

As captured by a YouTube user (courtesy of VGC player Mat Ombler for the tip), the item’s description reads, translated from French: “It’s finally happening! The iconic shooter, which has stood the test of time to join the era of modern games. “

TimeSplitters owner THQ indicated last year that he was planning an upcoming episode of the series, with the hiring of original co-director Steve Ellis to “help chart the future course for [the] franchise”.

However, he did not say if his plans included remasters of the original games. The SpellForce teaser might still turn out to be a practical joke from its developer, but VGC has requested comments from THQ Nordic to hear its official position.

Three titles from the TimeSplitters franchise released for PS2, Xbox and GameCube in the early 2000s, before developer Free Radical was acquired by German developer Crytek, where it was renamed Crytek UK and ultimately sold to Koch Media.

Koch and his publishing label Deep Silver were acquired by THQ Nordic in February 2018 and the band purchased the TimeSplitters property in August of the same year, along with another title developed by Free Radical, Second Sight.

“We are extremely pleased to have acquired Timesplitters,” said Koch Media CEO Klemens Kundratitz at the time.

“The original games provided fans with a massive content offering and a pure, 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 delight today’s gaming audience.

TimeSplitters co-director Steve Ellis later told VGC he had “unfinished business” with the FPS series and the possibility of relaunching it was “hard to ignore.”

“Personally, I have always viewed TimeSplitters as an ‘unfinished business’,” he said. “It was a series that was ahead of its time, when the shooters were all brown and the games weren’t online.

“I feel like the time is right, so the opportunity to work on it was hard to ignore.”

Series songwriter Graeme Norgate told VGC in a separate comment: “I’m really happy it’s finally taken off, 14 years since the last release. Hopefully Steve decides to put the old band back together!