Several of the studio’s canceled projects have come to light. Perhaps the most surprising is that they were planning to create a game based on Breaking Bad.

Firesprite, PlayStation’s in-house studio, has developed some of the platform’s biggest VR titles, including The Persistence and Horizon Call of the Mountain. However, in recent years, the developer has faced numerous setbacks, including layoffs in 2024 that led to the cancellation of several games. One of these was a battle royale version of the Twisted Metal franchise, as well as another game that was canceled around the same time. These two titles aren’t the only ones the studio has shelved, though. MP1st uncovered two additional projects the studio was working on without its knowledge, including one based on the popular TV series Breaking Bad.

Around 2017-2018, Firesprite was developing a Breaking Bad VR title for PlayStation VR. Although the name carries a lot of weight, the best description wouldn’t be a traditional game but rather a narrative experience. It would have resembled early PlayStation VR games, such as Stranger Things: The VR Experience, in that it would have been a short game focused primarily on a cinematic story. The production would have featured several iconic locations from the series, such as Walter White’s backyard and the New Mexico desert. Therefore, players would likely have been able to step into the shoes of the chemistry teacher who cooks meth.

In 2017, Variety reported that Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan was collaborating with Sony Interactive Entertainment on a VR game. The specific studio behind the project remained a mystery until now. The project was canceled in 2018. The last time we heard about the collaboration was in 2022 when Gilligan acknowledged the project’s existence and revealed that despite significant efforts invested, it had ultimately been canceled. As Gilligan put it, developing a game is incredibly difficult. It takes years and costs millions, especially when trying to break new ground with VR.

Another project that Firesprite developed after work on Breaking Bad halted also never saw the light of day. It was a new sci-fi horror IP that they worked on between 2018 and 2020, but it never made it past the prototype stage. MP1st found concept art for this title in the portfolio of a former Firesprite artist. Based on these images, the game clearly followed the style of Dead Space. The illustrations depict intense body horror and futuristic elements that would fit perfectly into a dark sci-fi setting. Some may notice similarities between these images and those from Firesprite’s previous game, The Persistence, as both games are set in sci-fi horror environments. This could lead some to believe that the unfinished project is a scrapped sequel. However, this is unlikely because the artist working on the project described it as an entirely new game.

Although many similar projects have been shelved, the studio has been working on several new titles for some time now. One of the most talked-about projects is Project Heartbreak. The codename first leaked in 2022, and rumors are circulating that it is a sequel to the popular horror game, Until Dawn. According to rumors, it is a narrative horror game featuring a female protagonist and is likely set on an island. Another recently discovered title is Project Pillar, a codename found in Firesprite’s job postings. Not much is known about it yet, except that, like Heartbreak, it’s being developed on Unreal Engine 5.

Source: MP1st, Variety