"Canceled Twisted Metal Game Blended Vehicular Combat, Shooting, and Battle Royale, Developer Reveals"

Exciting new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, revealing that developer Firesprite was crafting a unique live service game that combined the franchise's iconic vehicular combat with battle royale elements. A former UI developer at the Sony-owned studio shared these intriguing screenshots on their online portfolio. Although the images are blurred and tagged with "Under NDA," they are listed under the codename Project Copper, which insiders believe was the working title for this unannounced live-service iteration of Twisted Metal.

Twisted Metal, a beloved vehicle combat series that originated on the PSone and last saw a release during the PlayStation 3 era, was set to evolve under Project Copper. The developer described it as a "third-person vehicular action combat game based on a classic IP owned by PlayStation and developed by Firesprite." They further elaborated that the game featured third-person shooter mechanics integrated with vehicular combat, with the goal of being the last player standing, according to MP1st.

Unfortunately, Sony reportedly pulled the plug on Twisted Metal amid widespread layoffs announced in February 2024. At the time, the project "wasn't yet greenlit" but was under development at Firesprite, a UK studio affected by the layoffs.

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This cancellation comes as part of Sony's broader retreat from live service games, following an intense internal effort to develop more of these titles. For instance, Naughty Dog halted work on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the need to dedicate all resources to post-launch content for years, which would have hindered their ability to create future single-player games.

While Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 achieved remarkable 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 out to be a major disappointment. It was taken offline just weeks after launch due to dismal player numbers, leading Sony to cancel the game entirely and close its developer.

In January, Sony canceled two more unannounced live service games: one being a God of War project by Bluepoint, and another from the Days Gone developer, Bend.

Although it seems unlikely that we'll see a new Twisted Metal game anytime soon, fans can look forward to the Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie, which is slated to return for a second season on Peacock. IGN's review of Season 1 awarded it an 8/10, praising its blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness, despite occasional overuse of humor.