Not too soon after learning of staff cuts at PlayStation’s Visual Arts Group, another studio under the company’s wing has announced it’s letting go of a significant percentage of its employee base.
Media Molecule, the developer of Dreams and LittleBigPlanet, reportedly held an internal meeting where it told staff that it planned to lay off around 20 of its 135 employees, or around 15% of its workforce. The layoffs were also confirmed by Media Molecule in a post on social media, which reads:
“Media Molecule has made significant strategic changes during the past year, including shifting our focus from Dreams to our new project.
“We have had to make the difficult decision to begin the consultation process for team members within certain departments of the studio. This is a tough moment for the individuals impacted and the studio overall.
“Every single role that has been put at risk is delivered by someone who has contributed something special to Media Molecule. We will make sure those impacted receive the best support we can provide during this process.
“We will continue to support the Dreams Community for the foreseeable future and will update on future plans at a later date.”
A message from Media Molecule. pic.twitter.com/tV4ZNkdgAF
— Media Molecule (@mediamolecule) October 24, 2023
Media Molecule has notably made keeping a small team one of its priorities and recently ended live support for 2020’s game-creation-suite-within-a-game, Dreams, to pivot focus to a brand-new project, making this news perhaps less surprising but still notable amongst a year where it seems job security in the game development industry is at a serious low.
Other high-profile culls within the industry in recent months include Naughty Dog, Telltale Games, Team17, Striking Distance Studios, Epic Games, Ascendant Studios, Bioware, CD Projekt Red and more.
