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

Brand new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, revealing that developer Firesprite was working on a live service game that combined the series' iconic vehicular combat with battle royale elements. A former UI developer at the Sony-owned studio shared these images on their online portfolio, though they are blurred and marked "Under NDA." These images are part of what's believed to be the internal project codenamed Project Copper, which was intended to be a new Twisted Metal game.

Project Copper was described by the developer 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 incorporated third-person shooter mechanics alongside vehicular combat, aiming for a last-man-standing objective.

Sony reportedly canceled this Twisted Metal project during mass layoffs announced in February 2024. Although the game had not been officially greenlit at the time of cancellation, it was in development at Firesprite, a studio in the UK that was affected by the layoffs.

The 100 Best PlayStation Games of All Time

100 Images

The cancellation of Twisted Metal reflects a broader pullback from live service games at Sony, following an initial push to develop more of these titles. Naughty Dog, for instance, ceased work on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the need for extensive resources for post-launch content that would have hindered their ability to create future single-player games.

While Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead was a massive success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks, Sony's live service hero shooter Concord was a significant failure. It lasted only a few weeks before being taken offline due to low player engagement, ultimately leading Sony to cancel the game and shut down its developer.

Additionally, Sony canceled two other unannounced live service games in January, one from Bluepoint working on a God of War title, and another from the developers of Days Gone at Bend.

Despite the cancellation of the new Twisted Metal game, fans can look forward to the continuation of the Twisted Metal TV series on Peacock, starring Anthony Mackie. IGN's review of Season 1 gave it an 8/10, praising it as "a miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness," though noting it was somewhat overloaded with jokes.