Brand new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, providing a glimpse into what could have been an exciting evolution of the series. Developer Firesprite, under Sony's umbrella, was reportedly crafting a live service game that would fuse the iconic vehicular combat of Twisted Metal with the adrenaline-pumping excitement of battle royale gameplay.
A former UI developer at Firesprite shared a series of intentionally blurred screenshots on their online portfolio, tagged as "Under NDA" and labeled with the codename Project Copper. This name is believed to be the internal moniker for the unannounced live-service Twisted Metal project.
Twisted Metal, a beloved vehicle combat franchise that originated on the PSone and last saw an entry during the PlayStation 3 era, was set to make a comeback with Project Copper. According to the developer, this game was envisioned as a "third-person vehicular action combat game" rooted in a classic PlayStation IP and developed by Firesprite. The game's mechanics were described as a mix of third-person shooting and vehicular combat, with the ultimate goal of being the last player standing.
Sadly, Sony canceled Twisted Metal amid widespread layoffs announced in February 2024. At the time of cancellation, the project had not yet been greenlit but was in development at the UK-based studio Firesprite, which was affected by the layoffs.
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The cancellation of Twisted Metal reflects a broader shift in Sony's strategy, moving away from live service games after a significant internal push toward this model. Naughty Dog, for example, halted development on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the need to allocate all resources to post-launch content for years, which would have hindered their ability to create future single-player titles.
Despite some successes, like Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2, which sold an impressive 12 million copies in just 12 weeks, Sony's live service venture Concord was a notable failure. It lasted only a few weeks before being taken offline due to extremely low player engagement, leading to its ultimate cancellation and the closure of its developer.
In January, Sony also pulled the plug on two other unannounced live service games: a God of War project at Bluepoint and another at Bend Studio, the team behind Days Gone.
While a new Twisted Metal game seems off the table for now, fans can look forward to the continuation of the Twisted Metal TV series, starring Anthony Mackie, which will return for Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of the first season awarded it an 8/10, praising it as "a miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness," albeit noting its occasional overload of humor.
