David Jaffe Reveals Twisted Metal Reboot Started Life As A PSN Download

Sure we might be in the minority, but there really is nothing better than a slice of car combat for serious competitive multiplayer fun. We sound like a shill, but it's true. And it's been so long since a good developer has sat down and said, "Let's make a really good car combat game." Twisted Metal might be niche in this era, but it's certainly not unwelcome. There's an audience out there that's been craving this game for years, and we're definitely part of it.

We very nearly didn't get a 'complete' retail product, though. Speaking with IGN at GDC last fortnight, Jaffe told the publication that the reboot was originally pitched as a large-scale PSN release like Warhawk and SOCOM: Confrontation that would have been multiplayer-only.

“This Twisted Metal started as a PSN game,” said Jaffe. “Sony is the one that came to us and said they wanted more; they liked what they were seeing and wanted to make it into a full retail product.

“We actually went from PSN-only, and then we were going to be like Warhawk and SOCOM Confrontation in terms of it was going to be a $39 product that was multi-player only, and then Sony’s like, ‘No no, they want the stories’ and Marketing’s like, ‘Yeah, you guys don’t realize how many fans love the Twisted Metal universe, you gotta give us the stories.’”

Jaffe added: “We weren’t going back to Sony begging for more money to make this bigger. They wanted it bigger and of course we wanted to do that. Sony is a very smart company; they’ve done their market research to see if there are enough Twisted Metal fans to merit rolling the dice.

“It has a great legacy for Sony and SCEA, and I think everybody was on board.”

Twisted Metal's due out later this year. We can't wait to see some of the intentionally awful cut-scenes Jaffe and his team have concocted. Hopefully we get to see more of the game in action soon.