Twisted Metal Game Cancellation: Vehicular Combat, Shooter, Battle Royale Blend

Brand new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, suggesting developer Firesprite was crafting a live-service title that uniquely blended the franchise's signature vehicular combat with battle royale mechanics.

A former Firesprite UI developer, in a move that’s both intriguing and slightly rebellious, uploaded several blurred screenshots to their online portfolio. While marked "Under NDA," these images, reportedly from a project codenamed "Project Copper," strongly suggest the existence of this unannounced Twisted Metal live-service game.

Despite Twisted Metal's history as a vehicle combat franchise, starting on the original PlayStation and last seen on the PlayStation 3, the developer described Project Copper as "a third-person vehicular action combat game based on a classic PlayStation IP and developed by Firesprite." They further elaborated: "It featured third-person shooter mechanics integrated with third-person vehicle combat, with the ultimate objective being the last one standing." (Source: MP1st)

Sony's reported cancellation of Twisted Metal was part of broader layoffs announced in February 2024. At the time, the game was "not yet greenlit" but already in development at the UK-based Firesprite studio, which Sony confirmed was affected by the restructuring.

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The demise of Twisted Metal aligns with Sony's apparent strategic retreat from live-service games, following a period of significant investment in this model. Naughty Dog's halting of The Last of Us Online in December 2023 highlights the challenges, citing the immense resource commitment required for sustained post-launch content—a commitment that would have severely hampered their single-player game development.

While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 enjoyed phenomenal 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, stands as a stark counterpoint, a major commercial failure that lasted mere weeks before being shut down due to abysmal player numbers. Sony subsequently closed the game's developer.

Further emphasizing this shift, Sony canceled two unannounced live-service games in January—one a God of War title from Bluepoint, the other from Bend Studio, the creators of Days Gone.

Although a new Twisted Metal game appears unlikely in the near future, fans can still look forward to the ongoing Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie, with Season 2 slated for 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.