Bottom line: Sony's planned reboot of vehicular combat franchise Twisted Metal is no longer happening under the direction of Lucid Games. Fret not, however, as the series is still in development albeit at a different studio.
Sources familiar with the matter recently told Video Games Chronicle that Sony has moved the project to an unnamed first-party studio in Europe. It was first reported in October that Lucid Games had been given the nod to develop the revival, and that it might utilize a free-to-play model in the image of Destruction All-Stars.
Sony's motivation behind the move is unclear, although one person suggested it might have to do with the poor reception of Destruction All-Stars. Neither Sony nor Lucid commented on the matter when pinged by the publication.
VGC further notes that Sony is still planning for the reboot to drop alongside the premiere of its live-action television series adaptation. That project was first announced in mid-2019 from Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions.
Just last week at CES, Sony during its keynote confirmed the TV series was still on track and even showed off some artwork from the show.
According to Variety, Michael Jonathan Smith of Cobra Kai fame was brought on to write and executive produce the Twisted Metal series. It'll star a "motor-mouthed outsider" who receives an opportunity for a better life, so long as he can successfully deliver a mystery package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland littered with characters that aren't fond of trespassers.
A launch window hasn't been provided but VGC claims the TV series could premiere sometime in 2023.