Siobhan Reddy States Sony is Investing in Media Molecule to Grow Further
One of the most unique first-party studios underneath the Sony umbrella, Media Molecule, seems to be receiving serious support. The studio behind PlayStation classics such as Little Big Planet and Tearaway addressed this topic in a recent interview.
Growing Media Molecule
In speaking with Kotaku, Siobhan Reddy, studio director behind the Sony first-party team, Media Molecule had this to say.
One of the big things we did in the last half of last year was we made Abbie the live product lead for Dreams. That’s been a really big step because the live [aspect] is its own product in a way. We’re on a big recruitment drive right now because to make the progress we want, we need programmers, and we need designers. What really excites me about all of this is Sony is really behind what we’re doing and are investing in the studio to grow.
Firstly, it’s reassuring to hear this relatively small studio is ramping up efforts to grow within. Hiring more programmers and designers to keep Dreams going will be a huge endeavor to maintain the mentioned “live aspect”. Despite making critically acclaimed games, Media Molecule does not receive the same attention as the pantheon of Sony studios. In comparison to the likes of Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, Guerrilla, Insomniac, or Sucker Punch. Naturally, this coupled with the relatively low-key success of Dreams, caused some fans to fear for the future of the studio.
Thankfully, this should more than quell those fears.
Expanding Outside the Sony Ecosystem
Another interesting nugget of information addresses the possibility of Dreams expanding elsewhere. What we know regarding this topic is that Media Molecule is still working on making creations accessible outside of the Sony ecosystem. This would bode well for the game. An ecosystem such as this, thrives off of consistent content coming in. Naturally, expanding the ecosystem to more players will only see that content increase.
Media Molecule states Dreams engagement is up, so a PC release seems like a natural fit. Abbie Heppe, the studio’s live product lead, expanded on this topic further.
Right now, we’ve been focused on players and communication. But as we’re starting to plan what the next few months look like, it’s bringing some more of that customization of the playlists and really connecting players with the content they want to see. We already noticed that after investing in curation that some of our players started engaging more. That was a really good sign. And I think that was a step in the right direction. But like I said, it’s a journey.
All in all, this comes as reassuring news. Coming off the heels of the downsizing of JapanStudio, fears of Media Molecule’s future were warranted. Yet, to hear Sony’s plans to bolster the studio, even more, shows a belief in both Media Molecule and Dreams. Studios like Asobi, Pixel Opus, and Media Molecule round out the portfolio. Although they won’t sell as much as their sister studios, that doesn’t make them any less important.
