Brand new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, suggesting that developer Firesprite was working on a live service game that combined the franchise's iconic vehicular combat with battle royale elements. A former UI developer at Sony-owned Firesprite shared a few screenshots on their online portfolio. Although the images are blurred and marked "Under NDA," they fall under the codename Project Copper, which is believed to be the internal name for the unannounced live-service Twisted Metal game.
Twisted Metal, a beloved vehicle combat video game series that debuted on the PSone and last saw a new release during the PlayStation 3 era, was being reimagined by Firesprite as "a third-person vehicular action combat game based on a classic IP owned by PlayStation." The developer revealed that Project Copper incorporated third-person shooter mechanics alongside third-person vehicle combat, with the goal of being the last player standing.
Sony reportedly canceled the Twisted Metal project during mass layoffs announced in February 2024. At the time, the game 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 away from live service games at Sony, following an initial push to develop more of these titles. Naughty Dog halted work on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the need to dedicate all resources to post-launch content for years, which would have hindered their ability to create future single-player games.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 became a massive success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, Sony's live service hero shooter Concord was a notable failure. It lasted only a few weeks before being taken offline due to extremely low player engagement, leading Sony to ultimately cancel the game and close its developer.
In January, Sony also canceled two other unannounced live service games: one from Bluepoint, which was working on a God of War title, and another from Bend Studio, the developers behind Days Gone.
Although it seems unlikely that we'll see a new Twisted Metal game in the near future, fans can look forward to the continuation of the Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie, which is set to return for Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of Season 1 gave it an 8/10, praising it as "a miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness," despite its occasional overload of humor.
