Media Molecule has confirmed that they are hiring for a new IP.
Originally shared on reddit by user Careless_Main3, Media Molecule mentions this in their new job opening for a Principal Programmer for Art Technology. One line in the job opening says this:
“Partner closely with the wider programming team to define and champion technical requirements and standards for Mm’s new IP.”
Media Molecule was founded in 2006 by developers from Lionhead Studios. They created the idea of LittleBigPlanet, and successfully pitched it to Sony. They made the first two LittleBigPlanet games for the PlayStation 3, and LittleBigPlanet on the PlayStation Portable. They also collaborated with other studios for subsequent games in the franchise.
Media Molecule’s next franchise was Tearaway, originally produced for the PlayStation Vita, and then remade on the PlayStation 4 as Tearaway Unfolded. Finally, they produced Dreams for the PlayStation 5, an ambitious game creation system that turned their players into game developers themselves.
This news that Media Molecule is back to work on a new game is certainly a good one. They were not spared from Sony’s layoffs last October 2023, having to lay off 20 of their own employees. There was also a rumor that they were at high risk of being closed by Sony, much like Sony London Studio, which did close.
It may also be the case that Media Molecule was given an early lead to work on the PlayStation 6, for a potential launch or launch window game. While it is not impossible that this title is planned for the PlayStation 5, given the extended development timeframe of most video games nowadays, it’s more likely that this title will hit near or after the end of the PlayStation 5’s lifespan.
There’s also a bittersweet taste to this news, coming days after Sony decided to close LittleBigPlanet 3’s servers. That took archives of user created content from LittleBigPlanet1 & 2 along with it, but given this context, it sounds like this decision was out of Media Molecule’s hands.
The studio also had to end support for Dreams early last year, another situation where the fans lost a resource for user creation. If there’s an upside to all of this, it would be that Media Molecule gets a clean break and an opportunity to start something entirely new.
It’s more likely than not that user creation will be central to Media Molecule’s latest IP. But whatever form it will take, it will likely be produced and marketed as a showcase of the PlayStation 6’s technology. So that’s something to look forward to in Media Molecule’s future.
