Fan Developed TimeSplitters Rewind Approved by Crytek

TimeSplitters Rewind, a fan made project which includes some of the series' original developers, has been approved by IP holder Crytek and will use the studio's CryEngine 3.

The former Free Radical developers and the others working on the project have stated that Rewind will take the original trilogy's multiplayer modes and challenges for a re-packaged HD version. 

Gamers will be able to play online with 8 – 16 players online or challenge bots however the game will not support split-screen as CryEngine 3 does not currently allow for that feature to be implemented. 

"We're taking the best elements of all three games and creating a whole new game. We are taking full advantage of the CryEngine 3 SDK, so while it looks great and runs well – it will still 'feel' like a TimeSplitters game" project manager Michael Hubicka informed Cooking With Grenades. 

It is hoped there will be a demo available at the end of the year.

TimeSplitters Rewind represents just one of a number of efforts by the series' fans to relaunch the franchise. 

A petition to Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical, sought to urge the developer to release a HD collection of the series and amassed significant support after Crytek's Cevat Yerli commented that he would be happy to hand the petition to the right people if enough people signed it. 

The petition can still be signed but currently needs another 224,145 signatures. 

Last year the studio reportedly confirmed the title only to later state that:

"For TimeSplitters 4, with ever spiralling development costs, massive teams and endless crunch we decided on a more radical development strategy. In short, the experiment was to implement the infinite monkey theorem. 

"With cloning being a far too expensive option, we spent all of the development budget on buying monkeys on the black market. Those seven monkeys are now sat in a room with typewritters and lots of mirrors, and we fully expect TimeSplitters 4 to be finished soon. 

"Rumours are they haven't written any code but just tease the press from time to time. Those damn monkeys.

"PS: Anyone got any bananas?"