PlayStation’s recently cancelled Twisted Metal game was reportedly a battle royale.
As spotted by MP1st, the abandoned game – known internally as Project Copper – allegedly blended third-person shooting mechanics alongside the vehicular combat the series is known for.
How do we know this? A UI programmer working at Firesprite from April 2022 to October 2023 has uploaded obscured screenshots from the work-in-progress to their portfolio. Whilst the game isn’t explicitly mentioned and the images are blurred, you can nonetheless still see early prototypes of the third-person action both in and out of vehicles.
“I was part of Project Copper leading the UI team,” the developer wrote on their online portfolio. “I was tasked with creating a generic UI system to be used in multiple projects in the company, I was also managing a team of 2 UI Programmers while working with other teams.”
As for the game itself? The dev describes Project Copper a “third person vehicular action combat game based on a classic IP owned by PlayStation developed by Firesprite (PlayStation Studios)”.
“It had third person shooter mechanics wrapped with third person vehicle combat with the objective of being the last one standing,” they added.
Back in February 2022, Sony stated it aimed to launch over 10 new live service games over the coming years. A month later, then-Sony exec Jim Ryan said he believed live service games were a key part of gaming’s future, confident in PlayStation’s live service push.
However, since then, the company has been pulling back on this vision, with several proposed projects cancelled, including two more in January.
In related news, just last week, Peacock shared its first trailer for the second season of Twisted Metal. The upcoming second series stars Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett and Anthony Carrigan.
“As they try to survive an onslaught of dangerous new foes and familiar faces alike, including the murderous clown Sweet Tooth, things get complicated for John when he reunites with his long-lost sister, the vigilante Dollface,” reads the official blurb.