Sony reportedly cancels Twisted Metal live service game as part of layoffs

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has reportedly cancelled a Twisted Metal game as part of restructuring plans announced on Tuesday.

PlayStation said today that it plans to lay off 900 employees worldwide, or about 8% or its global workforce, in a move which will include reductions at Liverpool, UK-based studio Firesprite.

As part of today’s changes at the company, Sony has cancelled a Twisted Metal live service game that was in development at Firesprite, according to Bloomberg.

VGC exclusively reported in 2022 that a Twisted Metal video game reboot was in active development at Firesprite, after moving from original developer Lucid Games.

It’s understood that Sony originally intended to bring back the vehicular combat game series to coincide with the Twisted Metal TV series that launched in 2023.

While our sources did not provide an explanation for the change of the game’s developer, one person suggested the poor reception to Lucid’s PS5 title Destruction All-Stars could have contributed to the decision.

Further reading

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PlayStation Studios says it’s ‘reevaluating how we operate’, confirms cancelled games

Delivering online games, and launching on PC, “requires a different approach”

Commenting on today’s restructuring, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst said the company is “reevaluating how we operate”, and that the layoffs have resulted in the cancellation of unnamed game projects.

Firesprite, which was established in 2012 by former members of SIE Studio Liverpool after it was closed down by Sony, was acquired by the platform holder in 2021.