Okay, look, every time I start posting stuff that gets detailed about this I think it wigs TMA admins out and they scrap it.
I wish rather than delete whole damn posts though when they do that they'd just delete my one reply and private message me to shut up, but here are some "opinions" of mine gleaned from a few Incog team members who spoke off the record, as well as just some facts in general. Now,
while it is entirely possible, and likely, that there are some things below that are assumptions, and some bunk or just crap based on other people's opinions (or perspectives), I guarantee you a good portion of it is fact, or pretty damn close to how it all went
. So, there you go, read and enjoy.
1. No, Dave Jaffe had nothing to do with TMB2. He was aware of it, and even came by TMA once to hint about it (he referred to it as secrets that the good folks at Incognito were cooking up for us that it was not his business to spill the beans on). Keep in mind his interest in Twisted Metal has, and I don't mean this as an attack, came and went with time. At the time of TMB2 he was not interested in another Twisted Metal and was instead hard at work on God of War.
Also, and most people seem to miss this, he was NOT a part of Incognito. He was a part of Sony Santa Monica Studios. They were two separate groups.
2. Twisted Metal Black: 2 was nearly completed. It didn't have one or two levels, it was a whole damn city, and according to several on the team it functioned amazingly well with very little slowdown.
Some basic car models were clearly done (though keep in mind they probably planned and could have used many of the models from Black with touched up finishes).
3. At the 9th hour the higher ups at Incognito (read: Scott Campbell) freaked out about TM's viability.
This seems to be a trend they started after Black. Apparently a million selling greatest hits is a reason to crap your pants. Further, even though TMHO sold well enough even though it was put together sloppily, they still freaked out.
At any rate, like many game companies of the time they worried the only way to make a game "viable" was to slap Grand Theft Auto on it.
It's similar to what many game companies do now where they slap "Call of Duty" on it (see new TM game).
So they tried incorporating on foot elements which according to few on the team who spoke on it, and in my opinion, was a bad idea.
4. Twisted Metal Black: 2 was halted 3/4 of the way through production to throw together TMHO at Sony's request. The plan was to then go back and finish TMB2.
5. By the time TMHO was finished Incog found itself with a few dilemmas. Rumor mill says Scott and a few other higher ups were sick of Twisted Metal. Furthermore, Warhawk was way bloated (i.e. over budget on time and money) and they desperately needed to save that whale (which Dylan Jobe, my personal hero, did).
Furthermore, Dave Jaffe came in and was interested in doing a PSP game (Heartland).
So, despite it being very VERY close to done, and despite 18 months of work and money, and despite the fact it probably would have been one of their best selling titles (which Incog seriously needed after a few years of snoozers) they scrapped Twisted Metal to focus on finishing Warhawk and Heartland.
6. Unfortunately it sounds like the team at Incognito really didn't jive with Dave's ideas on Heartland (this seems to be a reoccurring motif with them). So, it was shit canned.
The majority of the team focused on saving Warhawk. This involved gutting its lacking single player to instead make it's killer online mode.
What was left on Incognito finished up the respectable "Calling All Cars" (which for reason I have never understood, ESP seems to always take the credit for . . . I'm sure they were mostly the same peeps but seriously, WTF).
7. Dave and Scott, and a ton of Incognito, then bail on Incognito to form ESP. Around this time, and probably not coincidentally, the server for TMBO is killed.
It was probably running on a computer in Incog's basement and it went out when the power went out.
8. By August 2007, and at the release of Warhawk, Incognito had about 6 people on the team. Kirk Baum, a TM and internet genius, who wore his love for all things TM on his sleeves, left Incognito pretty much the week or so before release day.
Game comes out; the last of the once great Incognito dies shortly after that . . .
And that folks, is the rest of the story.
One thing I think that has to be clear and said about TMB2.
Every single person of the team who has ever spoken about it communicates that they thought it was awesome, would be the best Twisted Metal ever, and that they were quite proud of it. Furthermore, it is implied, if not outright said sometimes, that it was one of those "stupid upper management" things that got it shit canned that we will all experience from time to time in our own jobs. You know the kind I mean!So who do you believe? Those who canned it and say it was a good decision, or those who worked on it and said it wasn't.
Both are biased. Of course teams are invested in what they do and believe in it, and hate to see it get cancelled for any reason. Of course, managers are notorious for being egocentric and having to interpret every decision they ever make, even dumb ones, as part of some divine plan. Both have biases.
Personally, I believe the team. Bad decision to shit can.