Devs behind GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters are done with big shooters after getting burned by Embracer, so their next game is a Balatro-like twist on Scrabble—and you can try the demo now

TimeSplitters 2
(Image credit: Free Radical)

When you read the words "From legendary developers Steve Ellis and David Doak" you could be forgiven for assuming that the next words would be "comes a new FPS".

Ellis and Doak were among Free Radical Design's co-founders, giving us the excellent TimeSplitters series, and nearly Star Wars: Battlefront 3, before it was canned and the studio went bankrupt. Before that, they worked at Rare, on games like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark.

"With Beyond Words, the board plays a huge role—you’re constantly interacting with the words you’ve already played, planning for future moves and finding new strategies as your run evolves. It feels more open and flexible."

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Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog. 

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