Gab Hernandez 
Sony is canceling its upcoming Twisted Metal game, as industry layoffs claim another victim.
Sony laid off 900 of its gaming staff in February 2023, severely impacting several projects in development. The PSVR2 divisions were particularly affected, with the company’s London studio, primarily known for its VR titles, closing down entirely. The PSVR2’s mediocre sales performance may have led Sony to give up on VR.
It’s not just VR games that were affected, however. Reports suggest that several games in development suddenly had no teams left working on them due to the layoffs. While shuffling staff around could save some projects, one game doesn’t seem to have such luck.
Is the next Twisted Metal game canceled?
Sony canceled an upcoming live-service game in the Twisted Metal franchise. A live-service game could have capitalized on the hype generated by the live-action adaptation of Twisted Metal despite the series’ mixed reviews. Byt even mainstream appeal didn’t help the cancellation of other multiplayer projects.
Naughty Dog canceled The Last of Us Online in December 2023. Unlike Twisted Metal, The Last of Us’ live-action adaptation garnered critical acclaim and won eight Emmy awards, the most of any video game adaptation. While The Last of Us franchise continues to print money, a live-service experience doesn’t fit into Naughty Dog’s plans any longer.
All of this begs the question of Sony’s outlook on live service titles in the future.
Will Sony stop supporting live-service games?
Sony will likely cut back its investments into future live-service games. Despite some live-service games still being popular, with titles like Genshin Impact garnering millions of players, live-service games have become an over-saturated market. Even so, Sony has aggressively pushed for live-service games.
The company acquired Destiny 2 creator Bungie that year, and that studio will release the much-anticipated Marathon in 2025. Sony also acquired Firewalk Studios, likely for its debut project Concord, a sci-fi multiplayer FPS set for release in 2024.
Reports of an online game based on the Horizon franchise have also been making the rounds. But despite its best efforts, Sony’s ambitions of making the next big live-service game have not yet borne fruit. With recent these cancellations, the future of live-service games on the PlayStation brand might not be so bright.
