Brand new images of Sony's canceled Twisted Metal game have surfaced online, hinting at a live-service title blending the franchise's signature vehicular combat with battle royale mechanics. A former UI developer at Sony-owned Firesprite shared several blurred screenshots on their online portfolio. While marked "Under NDA," the images are associated with "Project Copper," the presumed internal codename for the unannounced Twisted Metal game.

Firesprite described Project Copper as a "third-person vehicular action combat game based on a classic IP owned by PlayStation," featuring "third-person shooter mechanics wrapped with third-person vehicle combat with the objective of being the last one standing." (Source: MP1st)

Sony's February 2024 layoffs reportedly included the cancellation of Twisted Metal, a game described as "not yet greenlit" but under development at Firesprite. This cancellation reflects Sony's apparent retreat from live-service games following a significant internal push in that direction. The decision follows the December 2023 halt of The Last of Us Online at Naughty Dog, citing the extensive post-launch support required, and the disastrous launch and subsequent shutdown of Concord, a PlayStation Studios live-service hero shooter. Sony also canceled two other unannounced live-service games in January, one a God of War title from Bluepoint, and another from Bend Studio.

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Despite the game's cancellation, the Twisted Metal TV series, starring Anthony Mackie, is slated to continue 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 noting an occasional overload of jokes.