New images of Sony's scrapped 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 several blurred screenshots to their online portfolio. Marked "Under NDA," these images are listed under the codename "Project Copper," believed to be the internal name for the unreleased Twisted Metal live-service game.
Despite Twisted Metal's history as a vehicle combat franchise originating on the PSone 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 explained the gameplay: "It had 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 the February 2024 layoffs. At the time, the game "wasn't yet greenlit" but was under development at Firesprite, a UK studio impacted by the cuts.
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Twisted Metal's cancellation aligns with Sony's apparent retreat 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 need to dedicate extensive resources to post-launch content for years—a commitment that would severely impact future single-player game development.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 was a massive 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, was a major flop. It lasted only a few weeks before being shut down due to extremely low player numbers, leading to the closure of its developer. Furthermore, in January, Sony canceled two unannounced live-service games: a God of War title from Bluepoint and another from Bend Studio, the developers of Days Gone.
Although a new Twisted Metal game seems unlikely, the Twisted Metal TV series starring Anthony Mackie is set to return for Season 2 on Peacock. IGN's review of Season 1 awarded it an 8/10, praising it as "a miraculously enjoyable blend of comedy, violence, and thoughtfulness," despite occasional joke overload.
