Brand new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, suggesting that developer Firesprite was crafting a live service game that combined the franchise's iconic vehicular combat with battle royale elements.
A former UI developer at Sony-owned Firesprite shared several screenshots on their online portfolio. Although the images are deliberately blurred and marked "Under NDA," they fall under the codename Project Copper, rumored to be the internal name for the unannounced live-service Twisted Metal game.
Twisted Metal, a vehicle combat video game series that originated on the PSone and hasn't seen a new installment since the PlayStation 3 era, was being reimagined in Project Copper as a "third-person vehicular action combat game based on a classic IP owned by PlayStation and developed by Firesprite." The developer further explained that the game included "third-person shooter mechanics wrapped with third-person vehicle combat with the objective of being the last one standing" (thanks, MP1st).
Sony reportedly canceled Twisted Metal during mass layoffs announced in February 2024. Although the game "wasn't yet greenlit," it was being developed at the UK studio Firesprite, which was affected by the layoffs.
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Twisted Metal was abandoned amidst Sony's broader retreat from live service games, following a significant internal drive to produce more of these titles. Naughty Dog halted development on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, noting that continuing would require all their resources to be dedicated to post-launch content for years, severely impacting their ability to create future single-player games.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 became a smashing success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, Sony's live service hero shooter Concord turned into one of the biggest flops in PlayStation history, surviving only a few weeks before being taken offline due to dismal player numbers. Sony eventually decided to terminate the game and shut down its developer.
In January, Sony also canceled two unannounced live service games: one a God of War title in development at Bluepoint and another from the team behind Days Gone at Bend Studio.
Although it appears unlikely that we'll see a new Twisted Metal game soon, the Twisted Metal TV series, featuring Anthony Mackie, is set to return for Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of Twisted Metal Season 1 gave it an 8/10, stating: "Though overloaded with jokes at times, Twisted Metal is a miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness."
