New images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, suggesting developer Firesprite was creating a live-service title blending the series' signature vehicular combat with battle royale elements. A former Firesprite UI developer posted blurred screenshots to their online portfolio, labeled "Under NDA" but identified under the codename "Project Copper," believed to be the internal name for the unannounced game.
The developer described Project Copper as a "third-person vehicular action combat game based on a classic IP owned by PlayStation and developed by Firesprite," adding, "It had third-person shooter mechanics wrapped with third-person vehicle combat with the objective of being the last one standing." (Source: MP1st)
Sony reportedly canceled Twisted Metal as part of February 2024 layoffs. At the time, the game "wasn't yet greenlit" but was under development at Firesprite, which Sony confirmed was affected by the cuts.
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The cancellation of Twisted Metal reflects Sony's apparent shift away from live-service games following a significant internal push in that direction. Naughty Dog halted development on The Last of Us Online in December 2023, citing the extensive resources required for years of post-launch content, impacting their single-player game development.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 was a massive success, selling 12 million copies in 12 weeks, Sony's live-service hero shooter Concord was a major failure, shutting down after only a few weeks due to extremely low player numbers. Sony subsequently closed the game's developer. In January, Sony canceled two more unannounced live-service games—a God of War title from Bluepoint and another from Bend Studio (Days Gone developers).
While a new Twisted Metal game seems unlikely, the Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie continues with Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of Season 1 awarded it an 8/10, praising its "miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness," despite occasional overuse of jokes.
