Rumoured Twisted Metal PlayStation 5 reboot has a new developer

Modern car combat games like Wreckfest and the PlayStation 5-exclusive Destruction AllStars are satisfying our cravings for carnage. But there’s one franchise in this niche racing genre that’s overdue for a sequel: Twisted Metal.

Combining cars with guns, Twisted Metal was a smash hit on the original PlayStation. It spawned several sequels including the fan-favourite Twisted Metal: Black, one of the first PS2 games with online multiplayer support.  

Sadly, we haven't had a new Twisted Metal game in 10 years. The last game in the car combat series released in 2012 on the PS3. However, a series reboot is reportedly in development coinciding with the upcoming live-action TV series in 2023.

Originally, the new Twisted Metal PS5 game was reportedly in development by Lucid Games, the maker of Destruction AllStars.

Work on the new Twisted Metal game had already begun. However, sources have told Video Games Chronicle the new Twisted Metal is no longer in development by Lucid.

Twisted Metal PlayStation 5 reboot has a new developer

Instead, the next Twisted Metal game is reportedly being developed by an unknown first-party Sony studio in Europe. This means Twisted Metal is now in the hands of either Firesprite, Guerrilla Games, Housemarque, London Studio, Media Molecule, Nixxes Software, or XDev.

Out of these, London Studios is the only studio with any experience developing driving games, making the developer a prime candidate for the new Twisted Metal. Back in 2002, London Studios developed another vehicle combat game called Hardware: Online Arena for the PlayStation 2.

But London Studios is perhaps best known for 2002’s The Getaway (when the studio was called Team Soho), and 2004’s The Getaway: Black Monday on PS2. These GTA-style crime games let you tear around an eerily accurate recreation of London in licensed cars. London Studio also hasn’t announced any new projects in development since the PSVR-exclusive Blood & Truth in 2019.

Twisted Metal PS5 release date

Despite the change behind the scenes, Twisted Metal is still allegedly on track for a 2023 release alongside the live-action TV series. Announced in 2019, the Twisted Metal TV show is in production by Sony’s PlayStation Productions. The show will star Anthony Mackie, who plays Falcon in the Marvel Avengers movies.

As for why Lucid Games is no longer developing Twisted Metal, one source suggested Destruction AllStar’s mixed reception is to blame. It’s a shame as you would think Lucid would be the perfect team to tackle Twisted Metal given the studio’s experience PS5 destructive racers.

Series creator David Jaffe disagrees, however. In a recent livestream, Jaffe said he thinks you need a “smart designer to sit down and understand the pros and deficiencies of Twisted Metal” but “I haven’t seen anything from any developers including Lucid that suggests that they would know how to solve it.