Creators of the Timesplitters Rewind fan project have released their first developer update video, going over recent progress made. The project, which aims to recreate both multiplayer and single-player content from the first three games in the series, is still tentatively on-track for a partial launch in late 2017. While only a short video, the developer update provides a great visual look at Timesplitters Rewind's progress as it nears its initial release.

The developer update focused on just a handful of topics. The team is currently acclimating to CryEngine's 5.4's preview build, deciding how to make the most of the new tools. This engine shake-up has apparently restarted a lot of the team's in-engine work, but hasn't shifted Timesplitters Rewind's initial release. A big focus right now is on 2D art, with assets for menus, loading screens, UI for certain game modes, and more ready and waiting implementation. Plus, the map "Chinese" from the original Timesplitters has been reworked, but has plenty left to be done.

The final piece of content mentioned in the Timesplitters Rewind developer update is the story map, Syberia, which the team has started working on. Syberia is the first story mission in Timesplitters 2, and as noted in the video would provide a great counterpart to the currently planned multiplayer content in Timesplitters Rewind.

Wrapping up the video, the Timesplitters Rewind team points out that it's still looking for additional volunteers to fill out the development team. A significant number of positions were opened up at the start of August and the past month has been spent picking up new people as fast as possible. But there's always room for more when a game's launch date is only a few months away. The team is currently looking for C++ programmers and a variety of artists: 3D, 2D, character, and weapon.

At this point, it's clear that Timesplitters Rewind's initial launch will be rather limited in scope, just to get the ball rolling. But it's also apparent that the team has big plans for the future of the project, including a potential PS4 port. For disappointed fans disappointed that the franchise has been put to bed, Timesplitters Rewind is the best news in years. And with great communication from the team including a new series of developer updates, the project is more exciting than ever.

Timesplitters Rewind releases in 2017 exclusively on PC.