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Media Molecule co-founder and Dreams director Mark Healey has left the studio

fermcr

Member
"Media Molecule co-founder and creative director Mark Healey has confirmed that he is leaving the studio.
In a series of tweets, Healey – who directed Dreams – wrote: “So, after 17 incredible years of co-birthing and building Media Molecule, I have decided it is time for me to fly the nest – set sail and chart a new course – today is my last day at MM."

https://www.videogameschronicle.com...ams-director-mark-healey-has-left-the-studio/

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/media-molecule-co-founder-mark-healey-departs-after-17-years

littlebigplanet.jpeg
 
4 co-founders or directors leaving in 2 years is perfectly normal :messenger_winking:
They are starting a new IP...not everyone is happy with it probably.
Same thing happened when Days Gone didn't have a sequel. Same thing happened when Uncharted 4 was rebooted and Amy left, etc...

Sony probably didn't want this studio stuck with Dreams when clearly it was going nowhere and part of the studio wasn't happy with the decision and left.
Media Molecule lost its relevancy once they stopped making LittleBigPlanet to start workin on Dreams and wasted a decade on this...

I'm playing Sackboy right now and wondering how did this amazing studio wasted years of their talent on something as irrelevant as Dreams.

Whatever money they made with this, can't be enough for a decade wasted. What they do next will dictate the future of this studio.

If it's another flop, it will close.
 
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Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
They are starting a new IP...not everyone is happy with it probably.
Same thing happened when Days Gone didn't have a sequel. Same thing happened when Uncharted 4 was rebooted and Amy left, etc...

Sony probably didn't want this studio stuck with Dreams when clearly it was going nowhere and part of the studio wasn't happy with the decision and left.
Media Molecule lost its relevancy once they stopped making LittleBigPlanet to start workin on Dreams and wasted a decade on this...

I'm playing Sackboy right now and wondering how did this amazing studio wasted years of their talent on something as irrelevant as Dreams.

Whatever money they made with this, can't be enough for a decade wasted. What they do next will dictate the future of this studio.

If it's another flop, it will close.
I don't believe MM made Sackboy.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Dreams got abandoned and now the old leadership is leaving. It's because either:

(1) MM is being shut down, or
(2) Jimbo and Hermen are rebuilding the studio so they can make proper games more consistently.

If it is the latter, I'm happy about it.

MM hasn't made a proper game in almost a decade, and they have been pretty useless to be honest. If they can see a resurgence and find their niche like Team Asobi / Japan Studios, it'd be great.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Japan Studios has been unorganized for even longer though. They really haven't been focused since the PS2 days. After that they had way too many teams doing way too many things and never really released anything outside of side projects or collaborations with 3rd parties.
I'll never understand closing down a studio that put out Gravity Rush 2. Its still one of the best looking PS4 games. Its not like they were totally incompetent. I just disagree.
 

fermcr

Member


Wondering where he is going?

I am not really, it's pretty obvious


Where is he going?

Skull and Bones - Ubisoft ?
Sea of Thieves - Rare ?
Return to Monkey Island ?
Sid Meier's Pirates ?
New game... ???
 
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onQ123

Member
Love them but I'm surprised they haven't been shut down because they are like the only Sony Studio that didn't sky rocket with the PS4 & lived to tell about it.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
Japan Studios has been unorganized for even longer though. They really haven't been focused since the PS2 days. After that they had way too many teams doing way too many things and never really released anything outside of side projects or collaborations with 3rd parties.
Japan Studio could have been reorganized though, they had talent there and most importantly shipped games.

MM... like, do they even have game dev talent anymore? They haven't actually made a game in a decade. We know they can build an engine creation tool wankfest thing that nobody cares about (except Mark Healey, maybe) but that's not a game. If you work in games because you like making games, and made say Tearaway why would you stay at that studio?
 
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Where is he going?

Skull and Bones - Ubisoft ?
Sea of Thieves - Rare ?
Return to Monkey Island ?
Sid Meier's Pirates ?
New game... ???
Obviously is Skull and Bones hahaha. I guess that game is dead on arrival so it'd be hard to imagine he'd leave for something like that. Rare would be my best option. I just know the dude will work on something pirate-related.
 

Unknown?

Member
Japan Studio could have been reorganized though, they had talent there and most importantly shipped games.

MM... like, do they even have game dev talent anymore? They haven't actually made a game in a decade. We know they can build an engine creation tool wankfest thing that nobody cares about (except Mark Healey, maybe) but that's not a game. If you work in games because you like making games, and made say Tearaway why would you stay at that studio?
They were, into Team Asobi. The other function of the studio went to Xdev Asia.

I agree with you on the MM bit though. They've focused on one game for far too long.
 

HTK

Banned
Good. Maybe this studio actually makes a game I buy because up to this point nothing of value has come from them. They were like a glorified indie studio with nothing to show for as a critical success.
 
So he’s Bouncing one from one project going nowhere to the next.

MM should have kept going when they decided to make Tearaway. Stand-alone single player releases with Nintendo level charm

Hopefully they go back to that approach
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Imagine if he gets some creative freedom in sea of thieves....The foundation is already there, maybe he can come up with some magic for customization. Fits his whimsical style too.
 
This is a case of Sony studio mismanagement. Sony does not know what to do with media molecule. I wouldn't be surprised of they shut the studio down with a year. They have been a money sink for a long while now.
 

Astray

Member
Dreams was an absolute flop and heads have to roll for those.

Media Molecule is getting 343'd here.
 
This is a case of Sony studio mismanagement. Sony does not know what to do with media molecule. I wouldn't be surprised of they shut the studio down with a year. They have been a money sink for a long while now.

MM is a small studio

I don’t think they’ll get shut down. It would have happened by now.

Founders just got told to start making real games and I guess they didn’t like that approach
 
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