TimeSplitters goes offline

It's less than three months since Eidos announced at E3 that the eagerly anticipated console shooter sequel TimeSplitters 2 would feature online multiplayer support, but sadly those plans have already been scuppered. Originally the PlayStation 2 version of the game was intended to feature online support, but in a brief statement today the publisher confirmed that this has now been dropped. "We had always hoped to include an internet online component in the PlayStation 2 version of TimeSplitters 2", an Eidos spokesman said. "However the infrastructure is not yet in place that will enable us to incorporate an online element and still make the game's proposed release date. We certainly don't want to delay the release of one of the year's most anticipated games and as a result disappoint the many fans who are eagerly awaiting the game." Obviously the lack of online support in the game will be a disappointment in itself for some fans, but given that Sony's PS2 network has only launched in Japan so far, with an American roll-out planned for this summer, it's perhaps no surprise that Eidos have chosen to cut the feature rather than miss the all-important pre-Christmas release frenzy. Maybe TimeSplitters 3 will feature proper online support, but in the meantime players will have to make do with the ever-popular split-screen modes seen in the original. Related Feature - TimeSplitters goes online