Word of a new Twisted Metal game in development at PlayStation’s UK-based studio, Firesprite, has been in the conversation for a while now. Back in 2022, VGC had reported that the studio took over development of the game from Destruction All Stars developer Lucid Games.
Now though, it appears that game has been cancelled amidst the firing of around 900 PlayStation employees, an incredibly sad bit of news that Sony officially announced last night. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reports that the Twisted Metal title in development at Firesprite – which was one of the named studios affected by the layoffs – was to be a live service title that was still in the early stages of development.
If accurate it can probably be seen as another indication that Sony’s big live service push from a few years ago has been course corrected somewhat, especially after it killed off The Last of Us’ online project last year.
Despite some recent scuttlebutt suggesting that Twisted Metal was close to release, the game was in early development and wasn't yet greenlit, per source
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 27, 2024
Sony Interactive Entertainment yesterday announced a mass layoff within PlayStation, with around 900 staff (or about 8% of its total workforce) set to lose their jobs globally.
In a blog post, SIE president and CEO Jim Ryan says called the event a “difficult day at our company” and cited the changing industry and an eye towards long-term sustainability as some of the reasons for this incredibly deflating news, which might naturally come across as surprising for a division making billions in revenue and hundreds of millions in operating profits.
Ryan also shared the email sent out to staff with the news, which reveals some more in-depth detail on what this round of layoffs will entail and who it might affect. The CEO said that these changes will impact all SIE regions, meaning The Americas, EMEA, Japan and APAC and will hit “several” PlayStation studios.
In the UK in particular, Firesprite will see a reduction in staff and London Studio, which has a 22-year history with PlayStation that includes the likes of EyeToy, SingStar and PlayStation VR Worlds, will be completely shut down. Bloomberg’s Jason Schrier writes that the layoffs will also affect some of PlayStation’s biggest and most successful studios like Naughty Dog, Insomniac and Guerrilla.
