After declaring bankruptcy last week, Haze and TimeSplitters series developer Free Radical Design has now laid off "around 140" of its 185 employees. The studio's staff had been paid through the end of December, which is when the cuts will take effect.

"We're still trading on with the remaining 40 or so employees, have advertised the business for sale and have received some strong interest," ReSolve representative Cameron Gunn told 1UP. ReSolve had been tasked with assessing Free Radical's "financial position" and helping the developer weather its troubled times.

Free Radical was known to be working on TimeSplitters 4, and rumored to be developing Star Wars: Battlefront III for LucasArts. An anonymous staff member recently informed 1UP that the studio had "a number of cool projects in development--two of which are getting quite a lot of publisher interest already."

Update: Free Radical has not closed, but has instead gone into administration, which will allow the company to continue operating despite an inability to pay its debts.

"It's business as usual, although we have asked that almost all of the employees apart from a skeleton crew remain at home," Cameron Gunn, an employee of administration firm Resolve Partners, told local newspaper This Is Nottinham.

All of Free Radical's 185 employees have been paid through the end of December. The studio hopes to make an announcement regarding its fate later this month, following an analysis of its "financial position" by Resolve Partners.

Along with TimeSplitters 4, rumors suggest Free Radical was working on Star Wars: Battlefront III for LucasArts, with some claiming that the title has since been moved to Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron developer Rebellion.

Original Story: According to a report by GamesIndustry.biz and numerous other sources, UK developer Free Radical Design is closing its doors. The... Read more

New to the PlayStation Store this week is a playable demo of Free Radical's shooter Haze (PS3), plus an expansion to Q-Games PixelJunk Monsters as well as Rock Band and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock downloadable content.

Available free of charge, the Haze demo is said to provide a sample of both the game's single-player campaign as well as its four-person, drop-in drop-out online co-op. Haze is scheduled to hit store shelves on May 20.

Click through for more in this week's PlayStation Store update, including PixelJunk Monsters Encore and new tracks for Harmonix's Rock Band... Read more

Like yellow? If so, you'll love these four new screenshots of Haze (PS3).

The Free Radical-developed shooter and its KoRn-produced title track should hit North American retailers on May 20. A downloadable demo, featuring four-person online co-op, will be available from the North American PlayStation Store tomorrow.

With the May 20 release of Haze (PS3) approaching, publisher Ubisoft sent over a video of once-famous metal band KoRn performing its game-inspired track "Haze."

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A downloadable demo of the Free Radical-developed, substance-abusing first person shooter is expected to arrive in the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store in early May.

Publisher Ubisoft today confirmed that Free Radical's substance-abusing first-person shooter Haze (PS3) will be at North American retailers on May 20, with a downloadable demo due in early May. In celebration, a single new screenshot was released.

Soon to be available from the online PlayStation Store, the demo is said to provide a sample of both the game's single-player campaign as well as its four-person, drop-in drop-out online co-op.

Today's news comes on the heels of the previously revealed European release date of May 23. The oft-delayed game was originally announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but was later labeled as a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Free Radical Design's shooter Haze will be hitting stores on May 23 in Europe, Eurogamer reports.

Telling the tale of a drug-enhanced commando facing a moral quandry, the first current-gen effort from TimeSplitters developer Free Radical was originally announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The title is now being touted as a PS3 exclusive after development on the PC and Xbox 360 versions was halted last year.

Originally scheduled for a holiday 2007 release window, Haze suffered a series of delays before publisher Ubisoft announced the shooter for an unspecified May release date.

A May 23 European release date likely indicates a US release on the preceding Tuesday, May 20. Shacknews has reached Ubisoft for confirmation of the new date, but the company has not responded as of this writing.

Ubisoft just sent over new batch of screenshots for Free Radical's upcoming shooter Haze (PS3). Telling the tale of a drug-enhanced commando facing a moral quandry, the first current-gen effort from TimeSplitters developer Free Radical was originally announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but was later revealed to be PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Haze is currently scheduled for a May 20 release in North America.

Following a series of delays, publisher Ubisoft has announced that Free Radical Design's shooter Haze will be making its way to stores in May as a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Telling the tale of a drug-enhanced commando facing a moral quandry, the first current-gen effort from TimeSplitters developer Free Radical was originally announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The title is now being touted as a PS3 exclusive after development on the PC and Xbox 360 versions was halted last year.

Ubisoft also released a new trailer for the game, viewable below.

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Publisher Ubisoft has once again pushed back the release date of Free Radical's drug-enhanced shooter Haze. The company now expects the title to arrive at some point during its 2008 fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009.

News of the delay was packaged within a financial report issued today. The company had previously slated the game for release last year, but it was pushed back and expected to hit by this March.

Initially announced for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the PC and Xbox 360 editions of Haze disappeared from the official fact sheet and site in late May. "We just felt that PS3 needed some love," an Ubisoft representative chuckled at the time, though they deliberately avoided using the word "exclusive."

Free Radical co-founder and GoldenEye 007 (N64) veteran David Doak later noted that the game would debut on PlayStation 3 first, but was still being developed for other platforms.

Much like Rudolph leading Santa's sleigh in the murky winter night, Haze, one of this year's few third party PlayStation 3-only titles, will light the way for Sony's console on December 14, reports Three Speech.

Telling the tale of a drug-enhanced commando facing a moral quandry, the first current-gen effort from TimeSplitters developer Free Radical was originally announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The other two versions disappeared from Ubisoft documents in May, and at the time, an Ubisoft rep declined to label the game an exclusive, chuckling, "We just felt that PS3 needed some love."

Later on, Free Radical co-founder and GoldenEye 007 (N64) veteran David Doak claimed that development of the first person shooter was proceeding on all platforms, but that the game would debut on PlayStation 3 first.

To learn more about Haze, scope out Carlos Bergfeld's hands-on analysis.

Recent comments from publisher Ubisoft continue to paint a murky fate for the Xbox 360 and PC editions of developer Free Radical's next first person shooter, Haze.

GameSpot claims that the game is now a PlayStation 3 exclusive and development on the other versions has halted. "The official statement on PC and Xbox 360 is that these platforms are not confirmed," Ubisoft told the site, noting that it is open to "new partnerships."

With the game originally announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, mentions of the PC and Xbox 360 editions disappeared from the official fact sheet and site in late May. At the time, an Ubisoft representative avoided using "exclusive" when discussing the fall 2007 release of the PlayStation 3 version. "We just felt that PS3 needed some love," the rep chuckled.... Read more

There's a new Haze preview on IGN, offering impressions of driving around in co-op mode.

Over at bit-tech.net you can find a Haze preview, offering hands-on impressions of the new Free Radical shooter.

Ubisoft's Nate Mordo gave us the rundown on Free Radical Design's newest console shooter, Haze. A PlayStation 3 exclusive for the holidays at least, the game pits players in an epic struggle of technology versus nature, or man versus performance-drug-enhanced man. Hopefully, the multiplayer will be reasonably radical as well. Take a clear look.

Making use of a drug called Nectar, Mantel soldiers have several abilities to afford them advantages against unlucky uprisers, in addition to mentally blocking the horrors of war. An ability called Nectar Perception highlights enemy bodies among the dense forest for easy targeting, and Nectar Focus takes this one step further by offering headshot-enabling superaim. Nectar Foresight creates a nice looking ripple effect to warn of incoming danger like grenades, and Melee Blast powers soldiers up for close range rebel-ramming smashes.

Ubisoft sends along the first Haze video development diary. This first installment mostly offers an overview of what the game is all about.

Eurogamer is the latest site to feature a Haze interview. Free Radical co-founder David Doak is asked about making PlayStation 3 the lead platform, bringing out emotions in gamers, co-op support, game pacing and more.

Eurogamer has the latest Haze preview, checking out a demo build of this first person shooter and also chatting with the folks at Free Radical Design.

Game Informer has been updated with a Haze preview, checking out the Free Radical developed shooter at the recent UbiDays. Includes some exclusive shots.

During a David Doak interview conducted by GamesIndustry.biz, the Free Radical Design co-founder (pictured left) issued strong comments regarding the current relationship between the UK government and video game developers.

"Here's an industry that 20 years ago we led the world in--through bedroom rock-and-roll development on the early home computers--and now there's a very real chance that what is now a real profession is going to be driven out of the UK ... Read more