Media Molecule, the creative talent behind PlayStation’s classic LittleBigPlanet franchise, has been quietly working on a mystery project for some time now. Following the end of live support for the user-generated platform Dreams in September 2023, details on the studio’s next title have been incredibly scarce.
One of the few things that we’ve learned over time through job listings is that it will be a brand-new IP. Former Creative Director Mark Healey also stated that the project is “more of a game than a creative tool,” hinting at a traditional experience, unlike their latest release. That said, a new discovery may give us a clearer insight into what this new project aims to achieve.
MM’s Developer Resume Points to Open-World Title
The aforementioned discovery comes from the online portfolio of an artist currently working at the studio. The resume contains a brief description of the unannounced project that, while expectedly vague, explicitly reveals the inclusion of “open-world content.”
According to the CV, the developer is the “feature owner, main contact/vision holder of various open-world content” within the title. While this doesn’t definitively mean the game will strictly fit into the open-world genre, it heavily hints at a larger, more non-linear experience than what the studio has traditionally delivered.
The resume also goes on to detail other specific design responsibilities that might provide a picture of the game’s core mechanics. Notably, it mentions tasks involving “level blocking out main POIs (Points of Interest), moment-to-moment gameplay,” and interestingly, “forage design.” The latter mention implies that resource-gathering systems could be playing a role in the game to some extent, maybe even pointing towards crafting or survival elements.
Developing features on this scale is no small feat, especially considering that Media Molecule’s next chapter began with an uphill battle. In October 2023, reports emerged that Media Molecule was laying off up to 20% of its staff. In an X post addressing the situation, the studio noted that they had made “significant strategic changes during the past year,” including shifting their focus entirely to the new project, marking a rough start for this new IP.
If accurate, an open-world game would define an entirely new era for the developer. For many years, Media Molecule built its legacy on “play, create, share” sandboxes like LittleBigPlanet and Dreams, alongside smaller linear platformers like Tearaway.
Still, as always with developer resumes and portfolios, it is important to remember that games in pre-production can shift drastically in scope and design. Until PlayStation and Media Molecule are ready to unveil the project officially, we will have to wait to see just how expansive this “open-world content” truly is.
In other PlayStation news, we reported on Santa Monica’s God of War spin-off game, which will feature multiple mythologies and star Faye and Tyr.
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