killmicrosoft
28-12-2008, 05:15 PM
Gaming firm Free Radical Design goes into administration
http://www.thisisbusiness-eastmidlands.co.uk/News/Nottinghamshire/Gaming-firm-Free-Radical-Design-goes-into-administ.aspx
A gaming expert has said the cost of production could have lead to a Nottingham computer games company going into administration.
GameCity director Iain Simons said Free Radical Design were involved in the development of high-quality computer games which could cost millions of dollars to develop.
The company, of Bostocks Lane, in Sandiacre, went into administration on Wednesday.
Mr Simons said: “Everybody is feeling the crunch, and it is particularly difficult for developers like Free Radical Design which are big.
“All these people may be engaged with one project or one or two projects, and if one falls through it puts them in a precarious position.
“They produce AAA games which are globally acclaimed but expensive to produce. You need to sell a lot to make the money back.”
It is understood the independent studio had been working on a Star Wars game for LucasArts, but the deal fell through in October after two years of development.
Mr Simons said that most companies the same size as Free Radical Design have been acquired by other companies.
“It is particularly sad as they are one of the last big independent developers in the UK,” he said. “They had a lot of incredibly talented people working there.”
Other games released by the company include Haze, Second Sight and the Timesplitters series.
Cameron Gunn, of Resolve Partners, the administrators said it would be three more days before any announcements about the company were made.
He said: “We are continuing to spend time assessing the financial position of the company. No one has yet been made redundant and all staff on the monthly pay role have been paid until the end of December.”
Free Radical was founded in 1999 by former Rare developers including David Doak, Steve Ellis, Graeme Norgate and Karl Hilton, who created games including Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark.
http://www.thisisbusiness-eastmidlands.co.uk/News/Nottinghamshire/Gaming-firm-Free-Radical-Design-goes-into-administ.aspx
A gaming expert has said the cost of production could have lead to a Nottingham computer games company going into administration.
GameCity director Iain Simons said Free Radical Design were involved in the development of high-quality computer games which could cost millions of dollars to develop.
The company, of Bostocks Lane, in Sandiacre, went into administration on Wednesday.
Mr Simons said: “Everybody is feeling the crunch, and it is particularly difficult for developers like Free Radical Design which are big.
“All these people may be engaged with one project or one or two projects, and if one falls through it puts them in a precarious position.
“They produce AAA games which are globally acclaimed but expensive to produce. You need to sell a lot to make the money back.”
It is understood the independent studio had been working on a Star Wars game for LucasArts, but the deal fell through in October after two years of development.
Mr Simons said that most companies the same size as Free Radical Design have been acquired by other companies.
“It is particularly sad as they are one of the last big independent developers in the UK,” he said. “They had a lot of incredibly talented people working there.”
Other games released by the company include Haze, Second Sight and the Timesplitters series.
Cameron Gunn, of Resolve Partners, the administrators said it would be three more days before any announcements about the company were made.
He said: “We are continuing to spend time assessing the financial position of the company. No one has yet been made redundant and all staff on the monthly pay role have been paid until the end of December.”
Free Radical was founded in 1999 by former Rare developers including David Doak, Steve Ellis, Graeme Norgate and Karl Hilton, who created games including Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark.