Media Molecule

Media Molecule Ltd.
Type	Subsidiary
Parent company	PlayStation Studios (since 2010)
Foundation	4 January 2006
Predecessor	Lionhead Studio
Founders	Kareem Ettouney Alex Evans Mark Healey David Smith
Headquarters	Guildford, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Key people	Siobhan Reddy (studio director) David Smith (technical director)
Notable products	LittleBigPlanet series Tearaway series Dreams
Number of employees	~95 (2021) ~115 (2023)
Divisions	Media Molecule Brighton

Media Molecule is a British game developer based in Guildford, Surrey. Since 2010, it is part of the PlayStation Studios division of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Media Molecule's games focus on player creativity and creation sharing. The studio is best known for creating the critically acclaimed LittleBigPlanet series, of which it developed the first two entries.

Media Molecule was founded by former employees of Lionhead Studios in 2006 after securing funding from Sony. Sony acquired Media Molecule in 2010, following the release 2008's LittleBigPlanet, which was a critical and commercial success. Following the release of the similarly acclaimed LittleBigPlanet 2, Media Molecule shifted focus towards new intellectual properties. In 2013, Media Molecule released Tearaway and began work on Dreams, which eventually saw release in 2020.

Media Molecule's work has attained high praise from gaming publications for the studio's focus on player interaction and user-generated content sharing. The studio's work on the LittleBigPlanet series was critically acclaimed, as was their later work on Tearaway, Tearaway Unfolded and Dreams.

History

2013 - 2020: Dreams development

In October 2016, Media Molecule opened a second studio in Brighton. The Brighton studio would serve as a second location for the company due to frequent travels between the city and the main office in Guildford.

2020 - 2023: Dreams support, departures

In September 2020, Evans announces his departure from the studio after thirteen years, citing his desire to take a break from game development among the reasons for his leave, though he mentioned his departure won't affect development on Dreams. In December 2022, it was announced that Ettouney would leave Media Molecule in early 2023.

On April 11, 2023, Media Molecule announced that it would end its live-service support of Dreams in September of that year. A week later, Healey announced his departure from Media Molecule after seventeen years. In October 2023, Sports Illustrated reported that Media Molecule was to lay off roughly 15 to 20 people. Media Molecule confirmed the layoffs via a statement posted on Twitter, reaffirming its transition to a new project and beginning a consultation process for employees in various departments.

Games developed

Primary developer

Game title	Release	Platform	Additional notes
LittleBigPlanet	2008	PlayStation 3	n / a
LittleBigPlanet 2	2011	PlayStation 3	n / a
Tearaway	2013	PlayStation Vita	n / a
Tearaway Unfolded	2015	PlayStation 4	Enhanced remake of 2013's Tearaway
Dreams	2020	PlayStation 4	n / a
Unannounced title	TBA	TBA

Other titles

Game title	Release	Platform	Additional notes
LittleBigPlanet	2009	PlayStation Portable	Support; primarily developed by Cambridge Studio
Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves	2010	PlayStation 3	Support; primarily developed by Supermassive Games
LittleBigPlanet Karting	2012	PlayStation 3	Support; primarily developed by United Front Games and San Diego Studio
LittleBigPlanet 3	2014	PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4	Early development support; primarily developed by Sumo Digital

References

Media Molecule
Sony Interactive Entertainment - PlayStation Studios LittleBigPlanet LittleBigPlanet - LittleBigPlanet (2009) - LittleBigPlanet 2 - LittleBigPlanet Karting (support) - LittleBigPlanet 3 (support) Other Titles Tearaway - Tearaway Unfolded - Dreams Technology: Bubble