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Sony has canceled a Twisted Metal live-service game that was in development at UK-based studio Firesprite
- Thread starter Thick Thighs Save Lives
- Start date
- News
ChorizoPicozo
Member
nice. now do fairgame
and concord
and concord
Dr. Samuel Hayden
Member
Good. Death to live service.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Twisted Metal is boring. Good move.
Perrott
Gold Member
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Tiago Rodrigues
Member
Releasing half-assed games from publishers you just bought and put them day one on your streaming service isn't a great strategy from Microsoft. That's literally why they are now going to be a 3rd party publisher altogether and why their console is failing in every metric possible.
Sony realizing one strategy isn't working while their games are in pre-production / early in development isn't a bad thing. If anything it shows they can correct and change course if necessary. That's also why they are paying close attention at Bungie right now.
This honestly seems like they will be doubling down on their AAA projects which i'm good for.
Admitting a strategy doesn't work and going for something that was working for you isn't bad in any way.
Fbh
Member
This was one of the few Sony live service games I was looking forward to.
Though to be honest I do think it had a very high chance of bombing, most people just don't seem to care about car combat games anymore (but we haven't had a good one in a long time, so who knows)
Why not though?
Live service in the context of TM would just mean periodically getting new maps and cars/characters for free supported by cosmetic microtransactions and battle passes.
Though to be honest I do think it had a very high chance of bombing, most people just don't seem to care about car combat games anymore (but we haven't had a good one in a long time, so who knows)
Why not though?
Live service in the context of TM would just mean periodically getting new maps and cars/characters for free supported by cosmetic microtransactions and battle passes.
lughnasadh123
Member
People acting like games still in early development getting cancelled is some new thing. We all knew there would be a lot of culling of their GaaS lineup long before today. It's probably the right move.
TropicanaTwista
Member
I'm sorry this is a CRAZY take imo. Xbox has yet again had the weakest first party games compared to Sony and Nintendo this gen. This is while buying multiple publishers and studios and basically doing nothing the last couple of years of the Xbone gen.
In their defense though, I feel like first party has been real weak for everyone the last 5 years or so. Obviously some really good games but nothing like previous generations in terms of output
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
So you would of been perfectly happy getting a shitty GAAS TM? Nobody wants that shit, especially not to a TM game. Wipeout, they havent mentioned that game since 2014...give it up, they never said they are bringing back any classics.
Let’s not go there.
Xbox management is an utter clownshow. Stopped giving them any slack after them managing to utterly screw up Turn 10 and Forza Motorsport.
Roman Empire
Member
GaaS games 90% of the time. It's not the way moving forward. People are tired of these games.
Punished Miku
Gold Member
Well I went there. I didnt say that until today when we see the MS pipeline matured and lined up for this year and next, while Sony's is getting worse every year. Honestly its not even close.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Mibu no ookami
Member
Not quite car combat, but Rocket League is extremely popular.
I'm not convinced that a well made Twisted Metal game couldn't be successful in today's market.
It's funny to see Bungie get so much shit, but the real bad buy I think was Firesprite. I think Jim Ryan and SCEE didn't want to close down Studio Liverpool and when they got the chance they brought it back, but Firesprite has left a lot to be desired starting with Horizon Call of the Mountain. I gave them a pass largely because they almost certainly had to rush the game to make the deadline of the PSVR2 launch, but you could tell they had some issues when we haven't seen Twisted Metal despite the game being floated a while ago.
Guilty_AI
Member
Racing games are the easiest to turn into live service. Just sell a bunch of car packs and cosmetics DLCs, its what most companies developing racing games do.
willothedog
Member
Wonder how the market will react to all this bad news as PlayStation is the cornerstone of Sony. Several of the promised live service games cancelled, layoffs, studio closures, Madame Web.... 
StereoVsn
Member
One would then hope the “leads” would be first in line in the layoffs since they wasted money and time. But that’s not how things work unfortunately.
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
It wouldn't have been good anyway. Go back to the drawing board, make something good! Stop "doubling down" on GaaS. God it's so gross.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Bungie GAAS overseers laying down the hammer.
FF:Enhanced_Reality
Member
Sony can't seem to run their UK studios for shit and given how important we've historically been for them and how many senior figures have come through from the UK, it really is fucking baffling to me.
Sony London have really been used for tech demo's and research since they canned Eight Days and The Getaway 3. (Both huge mistakes tbh, the studio needed help, they canned it because it was the easy option.) Sony mismanaged Cambridge Studio, they let Psygnosis become Studio Liverpool and then basically have free reign to do whatever - and when the teacher came into the classroom wondering why nothing was being done, it must REALLY have felt like this GIF:
Fuck knows what happened with Manchester Studio.
BigBig were closed.
Evolution Studios were harshly punished in my opinion, for a project I think Sony forced to be out of a deadline and then suffered the consequences of that, having already been badly hurt by the postponement of MotorStorm Apocalypse after the Japan Earthquake.
Media Molecule have been riding the coattails of a BAFTA and LittleBigPlanet from 2008. It feels like they've been given way too wide a berth. They haven't really been as productive as a lot of PlayStation Studios and it feels like they try to recreate the wheel or doing something weird and wacky with each game.
That said, I love Twisted Metal and I'm really sad to hear this has happened. Once again Sony diss one of my favourite franchises and another UK studio.
Sony London have really been used for tech demo's and research since they canned Eight Days and The Getaway 3. (Both huge mistakes tbh, the studio needed help, they canned it because it was the easy option.) Sony mismanaged Cambridge Studio, they let Psygnosis become Studio Liverpool and then basically have free reign to do whatever - and when the teacher came into the classroom wondering why nothing was being done, it must REALLY have felt like this GIF:
Fuck knows what happened with Manchester Studio.
BigBig were closed.
Evolution Studios were harshly punished in my opinion, for a project I think Sony forced to be out of a deadline and then suffered the consequences of that, having already been badly hurt by the postponement of MotorStorm Apocalypse after the Japan Earthquake.
Media Molecule have been riding the coattails of a BAFTA and LittleBigPlanet from 2008. It feels like they've been given way too wide a berth. They haven't really been as productive as a lot of PlayStation Studios and it feels like they try to recreate the wheel or doing something weird and wacky with each game.
That said, I love Twisted Metal and I'm really sad to hear this has happened. Once again Sony diss one of my favourite franchises and another UK studio.
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Crispy Gamer
Member
Ironically this sounds like an example of great Studio management if Jason's article is correct that it wasn't green lit because of being stuck in development hell
Heaven Angel
Member
A live service got sacrificed
Yautja_Warrior
Member
To be honest, I'm just not a fan of GaaS / Live Service games in general. Constantly wanting me to engage with the game daily with challenges or spend extra money on seasons or the latest battle pass to try and keep up with all the kids that just play 24/7, etc.
I'm older now, so I don't have time for that crap these days, I'm more of a fan of single player games with a traditional multiplayer mode. I might not play for days or a week sometimes when I'm busy and I have a ton of games to play already, without having to sink hours and hours into a single online game.
Twisted Metal worked great as a traditional single player / multiplayer game, it was just an easy pick up and play type of game, whenever I wanted a quick blast and that's what I would want from a new TM game if they ever make another now.
Also a big problem now is there are already a lot of GaaS games fighting for people's attention and Sony are clearly having second thoughts about this stuff now, as we see plenty of these Live Service games fail.
NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
Sony really does copy every single industry trend, damn.
TheThreadsThatBindUs
Member
That's why all the goons cheering for greater and greater industry consolidation are short-sighted at best and at worst complete utter fucking fools.
Yautja_Warrior
Member
I guess but as someone who loves Twisted Metal but hates all that kind of cosmetic stuff and Live Services games in general, I'm kinda glad Twisted Metal is not going to join the ranks of "another disappointing failed GaaS game"
schaft0620
Member
drganon
Member
Badlucktroll
Member
I wonder if Marathon will get shitcanned
//DEVIL//
Member
Already have them both. I am a big fan of these racing futuristic racing games even games like Xtreme G racing.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
Reminder: PlayStation literally bought both studios after being impressed with those games.nice. now do fairgame
What has been London Studios most financially impressive game in their 20+ year history?
ChorizoPicozo
Member
I mean, they bought Bungie and partnered with former CoD developers through Deviation Games.
i would said that this drama is "yuge" but i believe is going to be for the best. and sony wil stay winning.
Mibu no ookami
Member
It was always weird to have a European studio with no connection to Twisted Metal working on Twisted Metal.
I think we have the same problems with SOCOM.
There is no real obvious choice for a studio to work on these games. No one who works there now is connected to these games.
Mibu no ookami
Member
I think that is why Bend is still alive. Syphon Filter was successful for the time, they made some really solid PSP games that had they been built on PS2, might have been really successful. Day's Gone sold a lot of copies.
Media Molecule should probably be shut down, but Dreams reviewed really well. LBP sold really well for the time as well.
London Studios has never been successful. That they were still around was mind-boggling given the cost of the area. They should have been shut down before Japan Studios.
Sony was always overbought on the UK. They're probably overbought in California and maybe in Washington.
Would like to see more talent from Japan, Korea, Poland, Canada, e.t.c.
mitch1971
Member
It's called the Disney/Marvel approach.
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ChorizoPicozo
Member
I don't think so. It is the only thing left for Bungie to redeem themselves BUT the road to release is going to be a clusterfuck thats for sure.
i think bungie right now is like this:
all of this shit is like Sony saying: We bought you to help us and you have been a fucking burden to us
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
It was always the horrible, horrible middle management. Staggeringly terrible and mostly a bunch of total cunts.
And they'd seemingly always fail upwards... Cronyism run rampant.
Woopah
Member
I'd definitely still put Sony in clear 2nd place. Its only recently that MS has pulled things together, while Sony has had multiple well received games this gen. To be clear I'm also including studios that these publishers partner with but don't own.
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Bond007
Member
Agree, we just gotta hope they pass these IP's to passionate groups, maybe some ex employees from former teams, and just a feel for what made the originals special. Thats alot to ask.
Punished Miku
Gold Member
"Well received" largely by overspending on graphics to the point that it's hurt the company. I wont deny they have higher rated games. But their output is literally a trainwreck at this point, and they just cancelled more projects. MS is not as bad as that this gen. They're putting out way more, on more platforms, and supporting service games, and doing it with better margins.
What most people suggest Sony do is go for more AA stuff. Well their ratings and scores could go down from that to the 80s, and that's what MS is already doing. A game like Spider Man 2 doesn't do anything worth a 90+ rating without that extra money spent on graphics. Just compare Spider Man 2 to Hi-Fi Rush which is a far better game.
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coffinbirth
Member
I'll see your V8, and raise you a BLUR.Time for MS to release a Vigilante 8 game
That license is with Activision yeah?
