According to sources who spoke with VGC, Sony has handed over the Twisted Metal series revival project to Lucid Games, the studio behind the PS5 vehicle destruction derby title Destruction AllStars. Twisted Metal is reportedly in early development with plans to release alongside the Twisted Metal live-action series currently in production at Sony Pictures Television. The report also says that Sony is building the game around a free-to-play model.
The report follows similar rumors from earlier this month, in which multiple sources said that a Twisted Metal game was currently in the works. However, this is the first time we’ve had a studio name attached to the project. Both reports state that Twisted Metal is planned for release sometime in 2023. That’s still a ways away, of course, but production on the live-action series it is to accompany seems to be going swimmingly—Marvel movie star Anthony Mackie recently joined the series as its lead actor as well as an executive producer.
Unfortunately, Twisted Metal creator David Jaffe isn’t exactly too happy about the situation. Last month, Jaffe responded to the revival rumors with disbelief stating that he would “be very hurt” if it turned out to be true and Sony did not reach out to him about the project. Jaffe also mentioned that Sony asked for his input on the TV series, so it would not make sense if he had not been informed on a possible game revival. Ironically, Jaffe even cited the commercial failure of Destruction AllStars as the reason why Sony would not be interested in another combat racing title.
While initially planned as a full-price launch title for the PS5, Destruction AllStars was delayed for three months and released for free via PlayStation Plus. Once it left the PS Plus offering, it was released for $19.99, considerably less the initially planned $70. Unfortunately, by the time it left Plus, the game had experienced a significant drop in active players, so much so that Lucid Games had to bulk up with online bots in order to aid matchmaking. Our official PS5 review of Destruction AllStars said that the game oozed with style, but lacked a lot of substance. Perhaps the Twisted Metal IP could be just what the studio needs to find that substance. (Lucid Games has also made significant updates to Destruction AllStars game-feel and content since launch.)
Suffice to say, it’s unclear whether the Twisted Metal revival is in safe hands. According to VGC, Lucid Games is considered to have a “long pedigree in the racing genre,” resulting in trust with Sony’s notable slumbering car combat franchise, despite Destruction AllStars’ performance. All reports of the Twisted Metal game remain unconfirmed for the time being. The only confirmed Twisted Metal news right now is the live-action series.
[Souce: VGC]
