TimeSplitters to return after 13-year hiatus?

Fans of classic arcade game TimeSplitters are hoping for a new entry to the series, after franchise revivalist Koch Media announced it has acquired the rights to the title.

The German media giant, parent company of Dead Island developer Deep Silver, has already hinted that a new game may be in the works.

“We are hugely excited to have acquired TimeSplitters,” said Koch Media chief executive Klemens Kundratitz. “The original games gave fans a massive content offer and provided a pure and genuinely fun arcade shooter experience.

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“We have many fans of the TimeSplitters series among our own staff who are passionate about creating a product that will thrill today’s gaming audience.”

TimeSplitters was originally developed by British gaming studio Free Radical Design and launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2000, says TechRadar.

The third and final entry into the series, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, arrived on the PS2 in 2005. Free Radical Design went bust three years later, before being acquired by Crisis developer Crytek UK, adds Metro.

Although the games studio was saved, the TimeSplitters franchise has remained on the back-burner - until now, the newspaper says.

The announcement that Koch Media has bought the TimeSplitters IP, or intellectual property, has fuelled hopes of a revival of the title, which “saw massive popularity in the 2000s” thanks to its “humour, artistic style and cheeky pop culture references”, says Engadget.