Canceled Twisted Metal Game Was Part Vehicular Combat, Part Shooter, Part Battle Royale, Dev Says

New images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, suggesting developer Firesprite was creating a live-service title blending the franchise's signature vehicular combat with battle royale elements. A former Firesprite UI developer posted blurred screenshots to their online portfolio. While marked "Under NDA," the images are labeled "Project Copper," the purported internal codename for the unannounced game.

Described as a "third-person vehicular action combat game based on a classic PlayStation IP," the developer stated the game featured "third-person shooter mechanics wrapped with third-person vehicle combat with the objective of being the last one standing." (Source: MP1st)

Sony's February 2024 layoffs included the cancellation of Twisted Metal, which, while not yet greenlit, was under development at Firesprite. The cancellation reflects Sony's broader retreat from live-service games following a significant internal push in that direction. Naughty Dog halted development of The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the need for extensive post-launch support that would hinder future single-player projects.

While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 was a massive success, selling 12 million copies in 12 weeks, Sony's live-service shooter Concord was a major failure, shutting down after just weeks due to extremely low player numbers. Sony subsequently closed the developer. In January, Sony also canceled two other unannounced live-service games: a God of War title from Bluepoint and another from Bend Studio (Days Gone).

Although a new Twisted Metal game seems unlikely, the Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie continues with Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of Season 1 awarded it an 8/10, praising its "miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness," despite occasional over-reliance on jokes.

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