Crytek: We’ll make TimeSplitters HD if 300,000 fans demand it

Crytek has said in the past that it isn't developing a sequel to TimeSplitters, but CEO Cevat Yerli said this week that the series may not be gone forever. An HD collection of the original trilogy could happen provided the right number of fans demand it.

Ryse isn’t rising any time soon and Warface is still a PC-only affair. Developer Crytek may have a lot going on, but Crysis 3 appears to be the only console game it’s baking in the oven. Following the release of that bow-and-arrow equipped sequel in the spring, what’s next for the swiftly expanding developer? Perhaps it will revisit the best-loved series of its subsidiary Crytek UK, TimeSplitters.

Prior to its acquisition by Crytek in early 2009, Crytek UK was called Free Radical, the studio behind Second Sight, Haze, and most notably the TimeSplitters trilogy of first-person shooters created for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube. Despite a significant fan following and strong sales, the TimeSplitters series has been dormant since 2005.

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli said, however, in an interview with Game Informer that an HD collection of the original trilogy isn’t an impossibility, and that could lead to renewed interest in the series.

“There is actually a petition running online trying to bring the fan base together, but unfortunately the petition doesn’t look that convincing,” said Yerli, “If the petition picks up it will be an even better argument for us. There’s a very hardcore market that is very verbal about it. I would love to see this, and if the fan base approves a further petition. They’re trying to call 300,000 voices… If they could get the petition together I would be very happy to put it in front of decision makers in the company, the key stakeholders, and say, ‘Look here. This is how it it, let’s make it now.’”

There were rumors back in April that Crytek was developing a TimeSplitters 4, and that some had even seen it running at Crytek UK, but the company later denied the game was in the works.

Crytek makes a mean piece of technology. The CryEngine and its descendants have been standard bearers for PC gaming technology for the better part of a decade now, with games like Far Cry and Crysis known first for their then groundbreaking visuals. Even today, the original Crysis compares favorably and better than most major console games. Beyond their graphics, though, those games still aren’t considered among the elite. Crysis is not yet an A-list shooter developer amongst the likes of Epic or Bungie. Maybe it’s time to let Crytek UK return to its roots and see if the past can help it find new inspiration.