After a ten-year hiatus, the classic combat racer Twisted Metal could finally make a comeback. The last game released way back in 2012 on PS3, but a new Twisted Metal game is reportedly in development for PlayStation 5.
Just a few days ago, Video Games Chronicle reported that development has shifted from Lucid, the studio behind Destruction AllStars, to an unconfirmed first-party Sony studio in Europe.
We speculated London Studio could be a prime candidate for making a new Twisted Metal as the studio developed the vehicular combat game Hardware: Online Arena and The Getaway series. However, Video Games Chronicle has learned Firesprite Games is working on the unannounced Twisted Metal PS5 project.
WipeOut developers working on new Twisted Metal PS5 game
Acquired by Sony in 2021, Firesprite Games is based in Liverpool just a few miles away from Lucid Games. Currently, the UK-based studio is co-developing Horizon Call of the Mountain for PS VR2 with Guerrilla Games. It also developed PSVR shooter The Persistence.
You might think Firesprite doesn’t have experience making racing games. But you would be wrong. Formed in 2012, Studio Liverpool is made up of developers that worked on the WipEout series.
Former MotorStorm director joins Firesprite
With former WipEout developers on the team, Firesprite already has a lot of racing game talent. But as spotted by a user on Resetera, Matt Southern also became Game Director of Firesprite this month. Before joining Firesprite, Southern was Game Director at Lucid Games.
His other roles include Game Director on MotorStorm Apocalypse, Product Manager on MotorStorm, and Producer for WRC Rally Evolved according to his Linkedin page. He also pitched the concept for DriveClub.
It isn't clear if Southern is working on the new Twisted Metal game, though. But if he is in charge, it has a lot of potential.
On PS3, MotorStorm was renowned for its intense off-road action, multiple vehicle classes, and spectacular crashes. Apocalypse also boasted impressive environmental destruction caused by a devastating earthquake.
As buildings collapsed mid-race, the track route changed dynamically in Apocalypse. With more powerful PS5 hardware, just imagine the insane levels of destruction the developers could achieve in a new Twisted Metal.
According to VGC, the poor reception of Destruction AllStars was blamed for Lucid leaving the Twisted Metal project.
Twisted Metal PS5 release date
The new Twisted Metal PS5 game has no release date. Sony hasn’t officially announced Twisted Metal for PS5 yet. However, the new combat racer is expected to coincide with a live-action TV series in 2023 starring Anthony Mackie.