By Chris Skeldon 
Firesprite is part of the PlayStation Studios producers affected by the layoffs announced yesterday by Sony Interactive Entertainment, as part of adjustments in the company's position, which also led to the alleged cancellation of the new Twisted Metal, which was not even announced publicly.
However, according to reports from former employees, Firesprite was already losing talent due to its toxic culture, prompting a workplace investigation before the layoffs were announced.
Our colleagues in Eurogamer They say the Liverpool studio has not recovered from the “crisis” ending of Horizon Call of the Mountain in 2022 and changes in leadership. One source, who asked to remain anonymous, said the studio was “dying.”
Eurogamer's sources in England also report that two Sony XDev leaders have been recruited to help lead Firesprite and make matters worse, as it is now the target of accusations of sexism and ageism. Sony investigated the complaints, but it was determined that the whole thing was a misunderstanding.
In addition to Twisted Metal, Firesprite had been working on another high-profile game, which was also cancelled, but in the final months of 2023, the developer lost a “worrying number” of employees as it was decided in October not to pay a bonus in an attempt to keep them in the product longer.
Some of the accusations, many of them published on Glassdoor, a site used to rate companies and inform potential interested parties where they will work, speak of a toxic culture, sub-par leadership of the studio's management and creatives, with many employees regretting their departure from the studio's original founders, and complaints about the resources team. Mankind is too small to handle nearly 300 employees.
However, in the midst of this more serious accusations arise. At least thirteen reports of sexism and ageism against the two new leaders were sent by Sony to Firesprite, which Sony investigated and deemed a “misunderstanding.” However, sources told Eurogamer that some decided to explore legal action and received a payment from Sony.