A new report points to Lucid Games handling the upcoming Twisted Metal revival. No official announcement has come from Sony, but multiple sources have confirmed a new Twisted Metal game is in development and will release alongside the announced Twisted Metal television series.
Now we're receiving word from VGC that Lucid Games will be developing the video game tie-in to the new TV series. Unnamed sources told VGC that the Twisted Metal "revival would be built around a free-to-play model, partly in response to Destruction AllStars’ last-minute transition from a premium game to a PlayStation Plus title."
Lucid’s most recent game was Destruction AllStars, an arena-based vehicular combat game that has a lot in common with Twisted Metal. Players take the role of champion drivers competing in an arena using heavily-armed cars while possessing super abilities reminiscent of a MOBA.
Originally intended to release as a premium PS5 title, Destruction AllStars was met with several delays and eventually released on PlayStation Plus. The game received tepid reviews on arrival and would later see its price knocked down to just $20, but even at the new low price, Lucid was forced to implement bots in order to shore up arenas with AI combatants.
Despite Destruction AllStars’ issues, sources say that Sony has given Lucid their full support on the Twisted Metal project and will use a similar monetization model with it arrives alongside the TV show sometime in 2023.
We only just recently received our first clues as to what the TV series will be about. A report from Deadline confirmed Anthony Mackie had signed on as the show's protagonist, taking the role of John Doe, a motor-mouthed milkman with no memory of his past. He's given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at his dream life, but it involves delivering a package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland while a homicidal clown tries to kill him.
No word yet on what streaming platform will take up Sony’s Twisted Metal show.