Gaming

A 'Twisted Metal' reboot is reportedly in the works

The vehicular combat game from the mid-’90s will be revived by Lucid Games.

A screenshot from Twisted Metal (2012)
Igdb

The keys to Twisted Metal, one of the most recognizable franchises of the original Playstation, will be handed over to Destruction AllStars developer Lucid Games for an upcoming reboot, according to Video Games Chronicle. Originally released in 1995, the vehicular combat game established itself as one of the most successful franchises for the first Playstation. By 2000, the series had already gotten up to four games and sales were close to the 5 million mark. By the time the new game actually comes to market, it will have been a decade since the franchise last put out a fresh installment.

Lucid Games is a Liverpool-based studio that previously helmed the development of Destruction AllStars, another combat-racing game that was released in February to tepid reviews. Hopefully some of the bumps and bruises from that process will lead to a smoother launch for Twisted Metal. Either way, the revival is supposed to coincide with the release of a TV series based on the video game, according to VGC. Writers from the Deadpool films and Zombieland are being tapped for that endeavor.

The next iteration of Twisted Metal will reportedly also be free-to-play, which is an interesting move considering the game has a storied history. There will almost certainly be some cosmetic items for purchase and given the absurdity of some of the gear that’s been part of the series, I expect to seem some Cronenberg-esque options.

Moving on? — Since the rumors of a new entry to the Twisted Metal franchise started circulating, David Jaffe, the original director, has spoken out about his displeasure at not being included in the talks. The game, after all, took off under his watch. Jaffe uploaded a video to his personal YouTube channel after the original VGC report. “Let’s be clear: Sony owes me nothing, our relationship ended somewhere in late 2018,” he stated. “But I will say that, emotionally, it feels shitty, if any of this is true, to not have been contacted at all.” Yeah, that puts a damper on things.

Still, I look forward to wreaking havoc as an HDR-enhanced Sweet Tooth.