Among the details revealed through the description of the title is the fact that it was “a classic PlayStation IP”, which would indicate that it was indeed a Twisted Metal game. Interestingly, it would feature third-person combat alongside traditional vehicle-based combat. The title was also seemingly developed using Unreal Engine 5.

The programmer also showed off a few blurry screenshots of the pre-release version of the game with a prominent “Under NDA” watermark on top, which revealed that there would indeed be on-foot action as well. The description for the title said that the primary objective was “to be the last one standing,” which would indicate that it would have been a battle royale game.

Reports of the game being cancelled surfaced back in February 2024 alongside layoffs that affected around 900 employees throughout Sony’s studios. The same layoffs also affected major studios like Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog and Guerrilla Games alongside Firesprite.

While the Twisted Metal reboot was believed to have been originally under development by Lucid Games – the studio behind Destruction AllStars – a job listing discovered back in February 2023 indicated that Firespirte was handling development of the title.

Twisted Metal‘s reboot was believed to have been a live-service game, likely under PlayStation’s push to release more live-service titles a few years ago. Since then, however, it’s backed off the idea.

Last year saw the release of Concord, which failed hard enough that servers shut down within less than a month of its launch. Its failure has been a pretty big deal at PlayStation’s studios, and reportedly prompted the cancellation of projects at Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio.

Among the list of cancelled live-service projects at PlayStation’s studios include The Last of Us Online, and even a multiplayer component for Marvel’s Spider-Man.

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida also spoke about this push for live-service games, saying that he would have pushed back against this focus at PlayStation. He spoke about how Sony should have continued to focus on its single-player story-centric games that have been critically and commercially successful.

“I was managing this annual budget and was responsible for allocating resources to what kind of games to make,” said Yoshida in an interview back in January after leaving Sony. “If the company is considering that way, it probably wouldn’t have made sense to stop making another God of War or whatever, like a great single-player game, and put all the money into these service games.”

Currently, the only live-service success story at Sony has been Helldivers 2, which is available on PC and PS5.

The studio will see an “unspecified number” of employees laid off, which PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst confirmed alongside layoffs for Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog and Guerrilla Games. Though there was word recently about Twisted Metal, suggesting an imminent release, a source told Schreier that it was in early development and not yet greenlit.

The next Twisted Metal has been rumored since 2021, with Destruction AllStars studio Lucid Games reportedly at the helm. Its development would allegedly switch to Firesprite with job ads last year hinting at it further.

In addition to layoffs at the above studios, SIE London Studio will be shut down entirely. The studio worked on Blood and Truth for PlayStation VR and was recently working on a live-service PS5 title.

NEW: As part of today's mass layoff, Sony has canceled a Twisted Metal live-service game that was in development at UK-based studio Firesprite, Bloomberg has learned.

Firesprite will also lay off an unspecified number of people. https://t.co/pvCDsS7yxe

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 27, 2024

Despite some recent scuttlebutt suggesting that Twisted Metal was close to release, the game was in early development and wasn't yet greenlit, per source

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 27, 2024

For PS4 players, there’s Circus Electrique, Dynasty Warriors 9, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, Monster Jam Steel Titans, Samurai Warriors 5, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated and Undertale. PS Plus Premium players gain access to three new Classics, starting with Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2 on the PlayStation One.

Gravity Crash Portable on the PlayStation Portable is also playable. All three titles are available for PS4 and PS5. PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can also download titles from the Essential tier, like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Alan Wake Remastered and Endling – Extinction is Forever. These are available till July 31st, so claim them now.

Some are fine with that. Others are probably angry. You can make up your mind. However, it does raise the question: What are Sony’s first-party studios doing?

Let’s start with the confirmed titles. First is Insomniac Games, which finally showcased gameplay for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Not only did it introduce Kraven as one of the new villains, but also Dr Curt Connors in his Lizard incarnation, tearing through the East River as Kraven’s Hunters chased him. The Symbiote suit was also revealed, but on Peter Parker, who has some new brutal abilities to go with it. Miles Morales was no slouch, showcasing new gadgets and enhanced Venom Blast powers that can chain lightning.

It was a lot to dissect, and we’re left with many questions about the story (like the state of Harry Osborne). A release date isn’t confirmed, but Insomniac said it would share the same soon with other details like the pre-order date, accessibility features and more.

Haven Studios, founded by Jade Raymond of Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and EA Motive fame, also showcased its brand-new title, Fairgame$. Coming to PS5 and PC, it’s an online heist game with competitive elements. No gameplay was showcased, but the various scenarios of its CG trailer did reinforce the emergent sandbox moments that Haven is going for.

Heisters had a grappling hook which could, well, grapple onto the environment and hoist them up. However, it could also grapple a piece of metal to use as a shield or create a barrier against laser wires. It appears to support three-player teams, but not much else is known. A QR code led to a page that may be for pre-registering for an upcoming closed beta. It’s either that or Sony really wants to know which billionaire needs a spanking (seriously).

Firewalk Studios, founded in 2018 by Harold Ryan, former CEO of Bungie, unveiled its new title as well. It’s a PvP first-person shooter called Concord out in 2024 for PS5 and PC. That’s more or less it – yes, once again, no gameplay was showcased. It was touted as a “unique universe of vibrant worlds” and a “rich cast of colorful characters,” so maybe a hero shooter? It’s too early to say, but its director and executive producer have worked on Destiny, so we’ll see.

Odd as it sounds, that’s really all that was revealed on the first-party side. Bungie is owned by Sony and unveiled Marathon, but that’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with crossplay and cross-save. It’s also a PvP extraction shooter, presumably one with live-service elements. Again, time will tell, but at least whenever gameplay debuts, it will be closer to the game’s release. So there’s that.

It’s understandable for some to be worried that this is all Sony has in the pipeline from its first-party studios. However, Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson reported that “a lot of the games we’re waiting on seeing are pretty much ready” and he was unsure why Sony chose to not reveal them. The Snitch further chimed in, stating that there some announcements weren’t revealed at the Showcase, and it’s unknown why.

One of those is a PC port for a triple-A title reportedly out in July. That would probably answer what Nixxes is up to, though your guess is as good as ours as what said title could be (update: It’s Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, out on July 26th for Steam and the Epic Games Store).

Some of the projects we know about that aren’t formally announced include Bend Studio’s next game. The Days Gone developer is working on a new IP with a “whole new world,” which builds on the open-world systems seen in its zombie survival title and incorporates multiplayer. It’s planning to reveal the title when the time is “right” – sadly, that time wouldn’t be at the recent PlayStation Showcase.

Firesprite, fresh off of releasing Horizon Call of the Mountain with Guerrilla Games, had job listings last year for a “triple-A narrative-driven horror adventure game.” However, later rumors indicated that it’s also working on a reboot of Twisted Metal, with a former Destruction AllStars director onboard. While Firesprite never officially announced it, several job listings emerged last February for a new triple-A multiplayer title that “aims to break new ground in multiplayer, blending gameplay mechanics in new ways and deeply embedding storytelling elements into a unique universe.”

The Principal Designer listing also mentioned “mechanics around vehicular and on-foot combat.” Even if Twisted Metal is in the works, perhaps to coincide with the upcoming show, it seems to be a ways off from release.

Guerrilla Games released Horizon Forbidden West last year to critical and commercial success and followed it up with the Burning Shores expansion this past April. It also worked on the PlayStation VR2 title Horizon Call of the Mountain. Given how Forbidden West and Burning Shores ended, we can safely assume Horizon 3 is on the way.

For its part, the developer confirmed that it would continue “to create epic solo adventures for Aloy.” However, it’s also working on an online Horizon game, developed by a “new internal team” and featuring a “new cast of characters” and a “unique stylized look.” Subsequent job listings have suggested that it will be open-world and feature new Machines, though, again, it may be a while before any gameplay is showcased.

There’s been a lot of talk about online titles and live service, so here’s some potentially good news for single-player fans – Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch Productions put up job listings last year for a new project. The Encounter Designer listing indicated this was “an open-world game, with a particular focus on melee combat and stealth.”

That sounds like a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima is in development. Whether it’s coming sooner than expected, especially since the first game was released in 2020, remains to be seen, but it would be incredibly hype. Will Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the amazing four-player co-op experience, also return? It probably isn’t beyond Sony to already have a live-service spin-off based on the same in development, so we’ll see.

Amid all of Sony’s first-party studios, Bluepoint Games appears to be the most low-key. The Demon’s Souls remake developer revealed earlier this year that it was “hard at work on our next project” but also that it would showcase it “When the time is right. All good things take time.” What’s particularly interesting is that this project isn’t a remake but “original content,” according to Sony. A sequel to Bloodborne, as rumored by XboxEra in October 2021? One could hope, but the mill has run dry on reliable Bloodborne rumors over the years.

LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule confirmed that live support for Dreams would end on September 1st, 2023, as it focuses on its “exciting new project.” The developer has confirmed it’s not Dreams 2 or based on the IP. Studio co-founder Mark Healey, who served as the creative director of Dreams, left the studio shortly after the announcement.

Another co-founder, Kareem Ettouney, who also served as art director, also departed the studio earlier this year. While this doesn’t mean Media Molecule are in trouble, you have to wonder what it means for the future, especially since ending support for Dreams wasn’t an “easy decision.”

Another low-key first-party studio lately has been London Studio, which released VR shooter Blood and Truth in 2019. It confirmed last October that it’s working on a non-VR, online co-op title set in London but with a fantasy twist. Developed on the in-house Soho Engine, co-studio head Tara Saunders said it’s the studio’s “most ambitious game to date.” While it doesn’t use “all different bits of peripherals, it is still about taking that DNA of innovation and putting it into any game concept,” per Saunders.

Regarding the theme, co-studio head Stuart Whyte revealed, “Our overarching theme is about bringing fantastical and magical elements and intersecting that with familiar worlds, and you don’t get much more familiar to us than London.” Again, sounds interesting, but it may be a ways off from release.

Astro’s Playroom developer Team Asobi was one of the only teams to survive the end of Japan Studio and now exists as a standalone developer. Last we heard, it’s working on “a franchise for all ages with global appeal,” per PlayStation Studios head Herman Hulst. A job listing in July 2021 indicated the studio was hiring for a 3D action title and that creativity and humor would be a part of it. Again, no formal announcement made, so it’s a toss-up when we’ll hear about it.

Finally, there’s Naughty Dog, working on a standalone multiplayer title for The Last of Us. Unfortunately, it seems that development has run into some issues. The developer revealed it’s giving the project “more time,” while Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said it’s being reassessed for “quality and long-term viability.”

The development team has reportedly been scaled back, with some going to work on other projects, but it’s not cancelled. Interestingly, Naughty Dog said it has “other games” in the works, including a “brand new single-player experience.” The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann confirmed he was working on a new project last year, while also saying it was “too early” to discuss. He’s open to developing The Last of Us Part 3, but that’s not exactly set in stone (yet).

There were rumors of an Uncharted reboot, developed by a different studio. A new recruiter was brought on last year to build teams for “new games” and the “legacy of Uncharted.” Sony would subsequently announce a new internal studio in San Diego with PlayStation Studios Visual Arts to work with Naughty Dog on a “new project in a beloved franchise.” A tease for what could be the next Uncharted was spotted in a live-action trailer for PS5 in January, but again, nothing official has been announced.

There are other first-party studios like Housemarque and Santa Monica Studio, but the former has not indicated its next project. The latter released God of War Ragnarok last November, and it may be a long while before its next project is unveiled. Polyphony Digital indicated in February that work has started on the next Gran Turismo, but it can’t talk about the same just yet. In the meantime, it continues to pump out content updates for Gran Turismo 7.

Given all the projects in development, it remains to be seen if Sony will have more State of Plays this year to showcase its other projects. It’s not odd to see a publisher hold back announcements to avoid bloating its shows (see Xbox). Sony may also be taking a page out of Nintendo’s book and keeping its completed projects under wraps before announcing and releasing them within the same time frame.

If nothing else, it could also be a lean year for triple-A exclusives on the PS5. Given Sony’s recently revealed strategy to have two or more major games yearly, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise. As horrifying as that no doubt sounds for the PlayStation diehard, the company has released several high-profile exclusives since the PS5’s launch in November 2020. There’s bound to be some downtime in between.

Nevertheless, it should still be an interesting year for PS5 players. Final Fantasy 16 is out in June; Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is reportedly targeting a September release; Helldivers 2 is later this year; and we’re still awaiting news on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the next chapter in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, still planned for Winter 2023. The near future is pretty bright, even if we still need more details on what’s coming in 2024 and beyond.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Multiple job ads, including one for the position of Principal Physics Programmer, confirm that the Liverpool-based studio is working on a new AAA multiplayer game that is apparently being built on Unreal Engine 5. The listing also describes the game as a “bold project” that “aims to break new ground in multiplayer, blending gameplay mechanics in new ways and deeply embedding storytelling elements into a unique universe.”

More concrete evidence to the project being a Twisted Metal reboot can also be found in the Principal Designer listing, which describes it as a genre-blending game that will feature “mechanics around vehicular and on foot combat”.

Interestingly, the listing also mentioned a knowledge of the Steam backend as a bonus for applicants, which may or may not suggest that the game could be in the works for PC as well. It’s worth noting that PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst has previously confirmed that live service games released by Sony will launch simultaneously on PS5 and PC.

How long it will be before Sony and Firesprite are ready to formally unveil their Twisted Metal reboot remains to be seen, but leaks have claimed that a large-scale PlayStation Showcase is planned for later this year, so that might serve as a suitable platform for the announcement.

Original story follows:

Recent leaks have claimed that Sony is working on a new Twisted Metal game to accompany the upcoming TV series. While early rumours had indicated that Destruction AllStars developer Lucid Games would be developing the game, a recent report stated that that was no longer the case, and that the project had been brought in-house to one of Sony’s European first party studios.

It seems like the freshly-acquired Firesprite – who’re also working on Horizon Call of the Mountain for PSVR2 – will be the studio in charge of the car combat reboot. As spotted recently over on ResetEra, Matt Southern has joined Firesprite as a game director, as per his LinkedIn page.

Why is that significant? Until recently, Southern was at Lucid Games, where he was the director on Destruction AllStars. Prior to that, he has also worked on multiple MotorStorm projects, and was also involved in DriveClub’s development.

Of course, that might be connecting dots that aren’t there, for a game that hasn’t yet been officially announced, but given Southern’s past experiences, it does seem like Firesprite might be the studio in charge of a Twisted Metal revival. We’ll keep an eye out for new details, so stay tuned.

As per a report by VGC, the Twisted Metal reboot has switched developers. The project has allegedly been taken away from Lucid Games and brought in-house to a first party PlayStation studio in Europe, where it’s now in early production. No concrete reasons have been mentioned for the same, but it’s possible that the lukewarm critical reception for Destruction AllStars may have played a part.

The name of the studio hasn’t been mentioned, but given the fact that it’s based in Europe, it’s easy to narrow the list down. A likely candidate would be Liverpool-based XDev, who also assisted with Destruction AllStars’ development. Interestingly, rumours have also claimed that XDev is working on a new WipEout game.

Previous leaks have claimed that the Twisted Metal game will adopt a free-to-play model, though it remains to be seen whether those plans will have changed with the switch of studios.

The news of a television series for the game in production has always been afloat, dating as far back as 2019 when Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra confirmed in a Q&A session that PlayStation Productions had started to work on a Twisted Metal television series.

Not much has been revealed about the production of the series apart from the announcement, but it is interesting to see that Sony and PlayStation are actively greenlighting various shows and television series based on various PlayStation franchises, with Uncharted getting a live-action movie soon, and a The Last of Us television show in development at HBO.

The Twisted Metal series has not made much noise in recent years. The last big major release was back in 2012 with Twisted Metal Black, which was made by developers Eat Sleep Play for PlayStation 3, and acted as a reboot for the franchise and also enjoyed some favorable fanfare. There have also been rumors of a new Twisted Metal game in development at Destruction AllStars studio, Lucid Games. It is possible that the television series is being produced to coincide with the launch of the rumored game.

Whatever the case is, Twisted Metal fans have something to look forward to in the upcoming months.

Sony confirms it is working on a TWISTED METAL series. pic.twitter.com/PPN1jSxcDN

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) January 5, 2022

A new job listing from Lucid Games has further added fuel to the rumor. The Liverpool-based developer is currently seeking a Senior Multiplayer Programmer to work on “an exciting next generation multiplayer game.” “Knowledge and experience of the Unreal Engine networking framework” was cited as being desired.

The Twisted Metal franchise is well known for its multiplayer component and with the newest title rumored to be free-to-play, it’s seemingly all but confirmed that Lucid Games is working on the same. This could also be a brand new IP so we’ll need to wait for an official announcement to be sure. If everything falls into place, then expect the new Twisted Metal to be out sometime in 2023 to coincide with the upcoming TV show.

Reports earlier this year claimed that Lucid Games had started work on a new entry in the long-dormant Twisted Metal franchise, which is allegedly going to adopt a free-to-play model and is targeting a 2023 launch to coincide with the release of the in-development TV series based on the franchise. Multiple leaks throughout the year have claimed the same thing, though of course, there’s been no indication from Sony about whether such a project is indeed in the works. If it is, though, we’re unlikely to hear anything official about it until its actual announcement.

Interestingly enough, another leak earlier this year also claimed that Lucid Games and XDEV – who also partnered on the aforementioned Destruction AllStars – were working on a new WipEout game for PS5 and PSVR 2. Read more on that through here.