Exciting new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, suggesting that developer Firesprite was working on an ambitious live service game that combined the series' iconic vehicular combat with battle royale elements. A former UI developer at the Sony-owned Firesprite shared these screenshots on their online portfolio. Although the images are blurred and marked "Under NDA," they are tagged with the codename Project Copper, believed to be the internal name for this unannounced Twisted Metal project.
The Twisted Metal franchise, known for its vehicle combat gameplay, originated on the PSone and hasn't seen a new entry since the PlayStation 3 era. According to the developer, Project Copper was envisioned as a "third-person vehicular action combat game" based on a classic PlayStation IP, developed by Firesprite. The game was designed to include third-person shooter mechanics intertwined with vehicular combat, with the ultimate goal of being the last player standing, as reported by MP1st.
Sony reportedly canceled this Twisted Metal project amid mass layoffs announced in February 2024. At the time, the game was still in development at UK studio Firesprite and had not yet been officially greenlit. This cancellation was part of a broader retreat from live service games by Sony, following a significant internal push towards this genre.
This strategic shift away from live service games also affected other projects. Naughty Dog halted development on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the need to dedicate all resources to post-launch content, which would have compromised their ability to create future single-player titles. Meanwhile, Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 became a massive success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever. In contrast, Sony's live service hero shooter Concord was a notable failure, lasting only a few weeks before being taken offline due to dismal player numbers, leading Sony to cancel the game and shut down its developer.
Additionally, in January, Sony canceled two other unannounced live service games: one from Bluepoint working on a God of War title, and another from Bend Studio, known for Days Gone.
While a new Twisted Metal game seems unlikely in the near future, fans can look forward to the Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie, which is set to return for Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of Season 1 gave it an 8/10, praising it as "a miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness," despite its occasionally excessive humor.
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