Sony’s Firesprite Studio has been accused of fostering a toxic work environment and ignoring complaints of workplace misconduct and harassment. An in-depth investigation of the claims by Eurogamer found that Firesprite — which Sony acquired in 2021 — was being led by two senior members of Sony’s XDev team, both of whom were investigated for claims of sexual discrimination and ageism made against them.

Sony’s Firesprite was recently hit by PlayStation layoffs

Eurogamer’s investigation began prior to Sony announcing mass layoffs across PlayStation, which Firesprite was also impacted by. Not only was the studio’s headcount reduced, its Twisted Metal live service game was also canceled.

According to sources speaking on condition of anonymity, Sony dismissed the aforementioned claims against its XDev leadership, terming it a “misunderstanding.” However, some of the complainants began exploring legal options, following which they received a financial settlement from Sony.

“Sony has committed the worst possible mistake in buying a studio and meddling to the point where it may end up in a death spiral and unable to complete any of the projects it is working on,” one of Eurogamer’s sources said. However, some sources countered that by saying that Firesprite needed the internal changes that came with its acquisition by PlayStation.

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Sony has reportedly canceled a Twisted Metal live service game that was in development at UK-based studio Firesprite, per a report from Bloomberg.

In a recent article from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier detailing Sony’s plan to layoff 900 employees in its gaming division and closing down PlayStation London, it was noted that Firesprite — who will also suffer layoffs — was working on a Twisted Metal game of some sort.

Not too much was revealed about the game other than it being dubbed a live service game, however.

Twisted Metal game was reportedly in the works for years

In a memo sent to staff about the layoffs, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst seemed to allude to game cancellations, saying that “sometimes, great ideas don’t become great games. Sometimes, a project is started with the best intentions before shifts within the market or industry result in a change of plan.”

Rumors of a Twisted Metal game being in the works have been floating around for two years now, with many reports mentioning that Firesprite was working on a new title in the series as a possible PSVR2 game. Many had suspected that the game was being worked on to release alongside the ongoing television series, which originally premiered on Peacock in 2023.

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There appear to be fresh details of Firesprite’s PS5 exclusive game thanks to a concept artist’s resume. We may have a clue as to the game’s release window.

Firesprite going big on horror

Agnes Hvalstad is currently employed as a concept artist at Sumo Digital Newcastle but previously had the same job at Firesprite Sony Studio between June 2022 and April 2023.

The section for the job at Firesprite mentioned working on a TBA AAA Project with a release date of 2025. When that was picked up on ResetEra, the year changed to 2023. But the evidence was captured, as you can see below.

It could be an unfortunate typo on the work duration rather than an actual release window, but the job began in 2022.

Firesprite is working on various projects, most notably a PS5-exclusive dark horror game (which is what Hvalstad worked on) which was described in a job listing as a narrative-driven AAA horror adventure, which is being developed using Unreal Engine 5. Still, it’s also been reported it could be handling a Twisted Metal reboot and a PvP shooter. It previously helped out on the PSVR2 game Horizon Call of the Mountain.

Before being acquired by Sony in 2021, Firesprite was known for creating the PSVR horror game The Persistence.

If 2025 is accurate, we could see the game revealed next year.

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Sony Interactive Entertainment developer Firesprite showed off its flashy new office and announced that it has expanded its team to become a PlayStation Studios “creative powerhouse.” The fancy building based in Liverpool, England dates back to the 1800s and has been specifically designed to support Firesprite’s ambitions.

Firesprite joined PlayStation Studios in 2021

Sony acquired Firesprite in 2021 and it was widely assumed that the studio would focus on PSVR2 projects. While it did work on numerous VR games including the recent Horizon Call of the Mountain with Guerrilla Games, Firesprite is aiming beyond VR and wants to deliver “blockbuster experiences” worldwide.

“Whilst the studio is decorated to celebrate history and innovation in our home city, our technical set-up is designed to support our ambition to become a pioneer of creativity,” Firesprite wrote. “The move to our new studio space is a significant step forward for Firesprite in helping us fulfil our vision of becoming a creative powerhouse within the PlayStation Studios family.”

Firesprite now has over 250 developers working on a number of “exciting” projects, one of which is a narrative-driven AAA horror adventure according to job listings. The studio also has a PvP shooter in the works. It’s also allegedly working on an unannounced Twisted Metal game.

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Players have gotten concerned over rumors that are starting to spread about the future of Media Molecule as the company’s Senior Producer Suzy Wallace leaves for another PlayStation Studio. This departure is just the latest as the studio changes direction away from Dreams.

Will Media Molecule be closed as the Senior Producer leaves?

Media Molecule has no plans to close the studio at the moment. While Suzy Wallace follows the studio’s co-founder Mark Healey in leaving the studio for pastures new, and live support and updates are winding down for their latest title Dreams, the studio is merely changing direction.

According to current Studio Director Siobhan Reddy, the studio is working on a new project that is “exciting but too early for us to talk about.” More information on this is expected at a later date.

In the meantime, Wallace has become Development Director at Firesprite on a “new, exciting project” according to a LinkedIn post (thanks @sami_odyssey). Firesprite has multiple projects in progress right now, including three new games. These are a “blockbuster” action-adventure game, a AAA quality “ground-breaking next generation PvP shooter project with a Games as a Service focus,” and a AAA “dark, story-driven next-generation ‘Narrative Adventure’ with genre-defining goals.” It’s unknown which of these will be the project on which Wallace is working.

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It’s excellent news for those picking up a shiny new PSVR 2 on February 22, as flagship game Horizon Call of the Mountain has officially gone gold, meaning it’s ready for distribution and launch.

Horizon PSVR 2 game has gone gold

As confirmed by developer Guerrilla Games on Twitter, the Horizon Call of the Mountain has gone gold ahead of its February 22 release date.

We're thrilled to share some exciting news today: Horizon Call of the Mountain has gone GOLD!

Not long to go before you can step into the adventure. #CalloftheMountain pic.twitter.com/8MZ6hZnZQi

— Guerrilla (@Guerrilla) February 6, 2023

Accompanying the tweet is a short video clip showing the player hitting a gong. Players will surely be able to replicate this once the game has fully launched.

News of a game going gold is always reassuring for those closely monitoring its status. Hearing “Gone gold!” acts as confirmation that the game is in a polished state and ready to distribute. While the developers are no doubt working on improvements and fixes to roll out with a “day one patch,” the launch build of the game is at least stable enough for release.

A VR spin-off, Horizon Call of the Mountain was revealed just over a year ago alongside the new PSVR 2 hardware. For many, the Horizon VR game will be the must-buy game to accompany the new PlayStation VR headset. Of course, there are many other alternatives launching on February 22.

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Sony’s recently-acquired Firesprite will be relocating to a new studio location in Liverpool. Their new location in Liverpool’s Ropewalks district will offer more than 20x the amount of space the studio has at its current location, allowing it to better cope with the multiple projects it has in progress at the moment.

Firesprite has a number of unannounced projects in development

Firesprite’s new studio location takes in four buildings on Duke Street in Liverpool, giving them a total of 50,000 sq ft as noted by Invest Liverpool (thanks VGC). Their current studio on Fleet Street has a floor space of just 2,259 sq ft, making their new premises more than 20x bigger in comparison. The lease means the studio will be based there for the next ten years now that they have seemingly outgrown their current location.

Firesprite has multiple projects in progress right now. Their confirmed projects include Horizon Call of the Mountain for PSVR 2 and a collaboration with Cloud Imperium Games on Star Citizen: Theaters of War. However, the studio also seems to have plenty of unannounced projects in progress too. There’s the much-rumored Twisted Metal game that is expected to coincide with the live-action Twisted Metal TV series from PlayStation Productions. They’re also teaming up with “a respected client to expand the live ops pipeline of their already established [open world] title.”

Finally, they have three projects of their own that include a “blockbuster” action-adventure game, a AAA quality “ground-breaking next generation PvP shooter project with a Games as a Service focus,” and a AAA “dark, story-driven next-generation ‘Narrative Adventure’ with genre-defining goals.” The latter is expected to have a horror twist.

In other news, a Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Remake is expected to be announced during tomorrow’s 25th anniversary stream. Elsewhere, a Final Fantasy XIV free login campaign has begun and will run until the end of the month,

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Neve Campbell has been added to the upcoming Twisted Metal TV show, a live-action comedy adaptation created exclusively for NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service. Known best for her role as Sidney Prescott in the Scream movie series, Campbell has been chosen for the role of Raven and joins a cast headed by Anthony Mackie who plays the protagonist John Doe.

What Raven might be like in the Twisted Metal show

Campbell will appear as Raven in a recurring guest star role, according to Variety. It’s not yet known how close this interpretation of Raven will be to her counterpart in the video game series, or whether she will be aiding or stopping John Doe from delivering a dangerous package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

In Twisted Metal: Black, Raven is a gothic teenager who is falsely blamed for the death of her best friend Kelly and ends up in Blackfield Asylum. Determined to avenge her, she joins the vehicular contest with the hope of winning and then exacting justice on the two high school boys who were actually responsible for the murder. If the TV adaptation takes several cues from Twisted Metal: Lost, we might see Raven driving a hearse and using voodoo dolls to protect people from killers.

Announced in late February of this year, the Twisted Metal Peacock series will be produced by Sony Pictures TV, PlayStation Productions, and Universal Television. Michael Jonathan, the writer for the successful Netflix show Cobra Kai, will be a writer and showrunner for the adaptation. The show will also cast Stephanie Beatriz as a trigger-happy car thief named Beatriz who helps Doe against the marauders attempting to kill him, and Thomas Haden Church as a ruthless highway patrolman named Agent Stone who enforces the rules of the road.

This TV show coincides with the Twisted Metal reboot which was rumored to be in development by Lucid Games but was apparently changed to Firesprite.

In other news, the PS1 classic trophy lists for PS4 and PS5 have hit PSN early, and the Uncharted movie has surpassed $400 million in box office sales.

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Sony’s recently-acquired Firesprite seems to have its hands full as it’s also apparently making a PS5 horror game on top of other projects. Spotted by ResetEra user Toriko, a new job opportunity published by the studio seeks a Narrative Director for the AAA game.

What we know about Firesprite’s PS5 horror game

Firesprite hasn’t officially announced anything but combing the job description for the aforementioned position reveals that the game will be a narrative-driven AAA horror adventure, which is being developed using Unreal Engine 5. “The Narrative Director is responsible for the project storytelling, helping establish and consider the game’s universe and lore, with responsibility for the quality implementation of narrative content for project milestones and ultimately the game’s release,” the advertisement reads. The description doesn’t explicitly state if this is a new IP or a game based on an existing IP.

Firesprite is already working on PlayStation VR 2 game Horizon: Call of the Mountain, and multiple reliable insiders have said that the studio has also been handed over the unannounced Twisted Metal reboot.

Opinion: Sony seems to be putting a lot of faith into Firesprite

Zarmena writes… Assuming rumors of a Twisted Metal reboot are true, Firesprite is apparently involved in three major projects. Sony seems to be putting a lot of faith into the studio, which it recently acquired. Quite a few of its members are former SIE Liverpool employees so I can see where some of that faith is coming from, but I hope we start seeing some of the work that all these new PlayStation Studios are doing because all we’ve had are acquisition announcements and not much else. What are you up to, Sony?

In other news, up to 90 PlayStation U.S. workers have been laid off, and Crystal Dynamics is asking PS5 players to wipe their campaign progress in order to fix a crashing issue.

[Source: ResetEra]

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Motorstorm Game Director Matt Southern has joined Firesprite Games as a Game Director on an unknown title. However, as Southern has left Lucid Games, rumors are that he has joined Firesprite as Game Director on the Twisted Metal reboot that was transferred between the two studios at the end of last year.

Why Southern is working on the Twisted Metal reboot

Southern had been working at Lucid Games since 2019 as a Game Director on their free-to-play vehicular combat title Destruction AllStars. The studio had also been reported to have been working on an “unannounced first-party flagship AAA IP for the PlayStation 5” that many had claimed was the Twisted Metal reboot, but this was suddenly and unexpectedly transferred to Firesprite at the end of last year. Southern has seemingly followed the reboot to its new developer, although as ResetEra member Toumari spotted, he has only confirmed on his LinkedIn profile that he is a Game Director on an unspecified project. Sony has yet to officially announce a new title in the Twisted Metal franchise.

His previous work also includes four of the five Motorstorm games, starting on Motorstorm as Product Manager and finishing as a Studio Game Director on Motorstorm R.C. He stayed at Sony Computer Entertainment to work on Evolution Studios’ last title, DriveClub, before the studio was closed by Sony. While there were stints at Ripstone and Mint Games creating titles in other genres, he returned to vehicular combat titles when he joined Lucid Games.

In other news, the continued shortage of components to make PS5 consoles has reportedly resulted in Sony continuing production of their PS4 consoles. Elsewhere, the latest Call of Duty: Vanguard update has introduced an Attack on Titan crossover with a new costume, weapons and finishing move.

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