PlayStation Dreams And LittleBigPlanet Dev Hit With A Huge Layoff

Update:

Media Molecule has recently issued an official statement related to the layoff. The devs are evidently shifting focus on the new title and have started a consultation process within specific departments. Many roles are said to be affected, but the studio will provide its full support during the process.

A message from Media Molecule. pic.twitter.com/tV4ZNkdgAF

— Media Molecule (@mediamolecule) October 24, 2023

Old Report:

A new report by Sports Illustrated’s GLHF suggests that the studio behind PlayStation Dreams and LittleBigPlanet IP, Media Molecule, has been struck with a huge layoff. It is seemingly planning to fire 15-20% of its staff to reduce the workforce significantly. The current number of devs at the studio stands around 135, but it will be reduced to a mere 115 after the series of firings have elapsed.

The employees of the studio were reportedly informed about the bad news in an internal meeting today. The studio has been rumored to be in internal turmoil. Many reasons are attributed to it, including a lack of game releases and more. The news of the layoff comes after Media Molecule recently announced that it was ending support for one of its most prominent releases, PlayStation Dreams.

Released three years ago, Dreams allows gamers to whip up their own games with multiple tools and features that are seldom seen in other titles. Many players have created some astounding creations out of the game, including a mesmerizing Sonic entry. Media Molecule is also well-known for the LittleBigPlanet franchise, with the last release being Sackboy: A Big Adventure. It came out in 2020 for PlayStation 4 and 5.

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Sony has been through its fair share of layoffs this year. Previously, PlayStation Arts Studio laid off many of its workers as one of its unannounced entries went through some significant shifts. The layoffs were confirmed by John Borba, a former project coordinator for the mystery title. John, among many other devs, was dismissed due to the studio narrowing its budget for the unannounced title. 

Sony was also hit by another wave of firings nearly two weeks ago, with notable devs getting fired from major roles. The number of devs laid off is unknown, but the incident is said to involve an unnamed title as well. This dismissal could be the same that affected PlayStation Arts Studio in the past. Naughty Dog was also struck by a massive firing recently. The studio sacked contract workers, which has impacted its Multiplayer spin-off title.

Many independent studios and those under Microsoft have also been struck by the layoff wave that started last year, including 343 Industries, The Coalition Studio, Unity, and more. All in all, Media Molecule is currently developing a new project, but little is known about it. It is unclear how the new set of dismissals will affect it.