A full, 4K remaster of TimeSplitters 2 was hidden inside Homefront: The Revolution

(Image credit: Free Radical)

Homefront: The Revolution's hidden TimeSplitters 2 remake apparently included far more than the two levels we already knew about. Unfortunately, it seems the keys to access the full game were lost years ago in a Discord ban.

That revelation came courtesy of former Crytek developer Matt Phillips, responding to ex-Vlambeer designer JW Nijman's call for developers to share easter eggs they'd hidden in games. There are some beauties in there too, from The Division's ninja turtles to Dragon Age 2's giant cheese wheel.

But as Eurogamer spotted, Phillips replied with the suggestion that much more of Homefront's TimeSplitters throwback was intended to be playable—in native 4K, no less.

You may like

My proudest moment. Fully playable, native 4K port of TimeSplitters 2 hidden in this arcade machine in Homefront: The Revolution. https://t.co/U0ulGEW1A1 pic.twitter.com/a4UsyOw7ehApril 4, 2021

Fully-featured really did mean fully featured, too: "I ported the network stack to ride on top of HF:TR's co-op mode. If, and that's a big if, anyone was able to hack two or more arcades into one of the co-op maps, it'll boot to the multiplayer menu."

Don't bother trying to hunt down the access code, though. Not even Phillips has it written down anymore. The developer did hand it to a friend, once—but the suggestion that Homefront included all of TimeSplitters 2 was apparently so unbelievable that a Discord server banned their account.

"The unlock code has been lost to time, I don't have the notebook with it in any more. I once gave it to a friend to leak in some Discord channel and they called him a liar and banned his account."

Unfortunate, too, considering THQ Nordic has no plans to remaster the 2002 classic. But if you're looking for a Timesplitters fix, fan-developed throwback mod Timesplitters Rewind is still ticking along quietly in its aim to modernize all three original games.

Now that it's public knowledge, let's hope some enterprising hacker can finally unlock the 4K remaster we deserve tucked away inside Homefront.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.