Sony’s cancelled Twisted Metal game was reportedly a third-person shooter with the player objective of being the “last one standing”, much like a Battle Royale title. The live service title, which was in development at UK-based Sony studio Firesprite, was reportedly cancelled by the PlayStation parent last year as part of wider layoffs at the company. The last Twisted Metal game was released in 2012 as a PS3 exclusive.
Cancelled Twisted Metal Was Battle Royale Game
The Twisted Metal live service reboot was reportedly in development for PS5 before it was cancelled in 2024. Sony did not share any details about the game, but the online portfolio of a former Firesprite developer has revealed new information about the now-cancelled project.
According to the developer’s website, as spotted by MP1st, they worked as Lead UI Programmer at Firesprite, a part of PlayStation Studios. The portfolio doesn’t mention Twisted Metal directly but refers to the game as “Project Copper”.
The developer’s portfolio describes the game as a third-person vehicular combat action title based on a popular PlayStation IP and goes on to suggest it would have game objectives similar to a Battle Royale title.
“Project Copper was a 3rd person vehicular action combat game, it was based on a classic IP owned by PlayStation developed by Firesprite (PlayStation Studios) it had 3rd person shooter mechanics wrapped with 3rd person vehicle combat with the objective of being the last one standing,” the website reads.
The developer also shared four blurred screenshots of the game, showcasing UI design and gameplay elements. The images show vehicular combat and third-person shooting visuals.
The Twisted Metal reboot at Firesprite was cancelled when Sony cut 900 jobs at its PlayStation unit and shut down a studio in London in February 2024. The layoffs affected eight percent of PlayStation staff across different regions at the time. The layoffs, reported by Bloomberg, also impacted Firesprite and reportedly led to the cancellation of the Twister Metal live service title.
Earlier this year, Sony cancelled two more projects as it backed further away from its live service push. The unannounced live service projects were in development at Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.
