‘TimeSplitters’ inspired ‘Neon Beasts’ announced at Realms Deep 2021

Neon Beasts, a TimeSplitters-inspired first-person shooter, has been announced during the Realms Deep 2021 event which is currently underway.

The colourful shooter is being developed by Sean Ryan, who previously pitched the game via an unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year. Ryan will now continue to work on the game in partnership with Rogue Games, Inc.

Neon Beasts looks like a first-person take on Hotline Miami, featuring violence, guns and fast-paced combat all set against the backdrop of a gang warfare story. The game will feature a similar UI to Goldeneye and TimeSplitters, featuring their signature curved lines bookending the screen to health and what appears to be armour.

Ryan’s previous work includes Timesplitters Rewind, a fan-made recreation of TimeSplitters 1, 2 and 3. Ryan worked as an environmental artist on the project, which is still currently in development.

This is the second Realms Deep event, which is hosted by 3D Realms. Best known for developing and producing games like Duke Nukem, Prey and Max Payne, 3D Realms was recently acquired by Embracer Group, a subsidiary of Saber Interactive.

Over 150 games will be announced during Realms Deep 2021, which is over three times more than were shown at last year’s event.

Neon Beasts will launch next year on PS5, Xbox Series S|X and PC.

Elsewhere, a new Firaxis job listing may have revealed the existence of Civilization 7. The role, which is for a narrative lead position, requires applicants ‘understand strategy games and storytelling within them’.

This would be the first Civilization game since Civilization 6 released in October 2016.