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 fused the series' iconic vehicular combat with battle royale elements. A former UI developer at Sony-owned Firesprite shared a series of screenshots on their online portfolio, although the images are blurred and marked "Under NDA." These images are linked to the codename Project Copper, which insiders believe was the internal name for the unannounced live-service Twisted Metal game.
Twisted Metal is a well-known vehicle combat video game franchise that originated on the PSone and hasn't seen a new installment 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 IP owned by PlayStation and developed by Firesprite." They further explained that it included "third-person shooter mechanics wrapped with third-person vehicle combat with the objective of being the last one standing" (via MP1st).
Sony reportedly canceled Twisted Metal as part of widespread layoffs announced in February 2024. At the time, the game "wasn't yet greenlit" but was being developed at UK studio Firesprite, which was affected by the layoffs.
The 100 Best PlayStation Games of All Time
100 Images
Twisted Metal was sidelined amid Sony's broader retreat from live service games, following a significant internal effort to develop more of these types of games. Naughty Dog halted development on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the need to dedicate all its resources to post-launch content for years, which would have hindered its ability to create future single-player games.
While Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 became a breakout success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks to become the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, Sony's live service hero shooter Concord turned out to be a major disappointment. It lasted only a couple of weeks before being taken offline due to extremely low player numbers, leading Sony to ultimately cancel the game and close its developer.
In January, Sony canceled two more unannounced live service games: one a God of War title being developed by Bluepoint and another at Days Gone developer Bend.
Although a new Twisted Metal game doesn't seem to be on the horizon, the Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie is set to continue with Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of Twisted Metal Season 1 gave it an 8/10, stating: "Though overloaded with jokes at times, Twisted Metal is a miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness."
