A small, creative PlayStation studio in Guildford that made LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway and Dreams.
Media Molecule is a game studio in Guildford, Surrey, and part of PlayStation Studios. It is the team behind LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2, Tearaway and Tearaway Unfolded, and Dreams, a game that let players build and share their own games, art and music. Its games are known for a handmade, playful look and for giving players the tools to be creative.
The studio's own site says it wants to give its team creative flexibility and freedom while having fun, and says its games show a commitment to creativity. It calls its staff Molecules. We did not find a longer formal mission statement. The founders began with Rag Doll Kung Fu while at Lionhead, and pitched an early version of LittleBigPlanet, then called Craftworld, to Sony. Sony's backing is what allowed a very small team to turn that idea into a global series.
Media Molecule was incorporated in January 2006 by Alex Evans, Kareem Ettouney, Mark Healey and David Smith, who had previously worked at Lionhead Studios. Sony supported their early LittleBigPlanet idea and acquired the studio in 2010. A smaller satellite studio opened in Brighton in 2016. Support for Dreams ended in September 2023, and the studio's next game is not related to Dreams. All four founders have since left, and John Beech became creative director. A public source gave 135 staff in October 2023, and it has deliberately stayed a small studio. The studio worked with Tarsier Studios on Tearaway Unfolded for PS4, so it also has experience co-developing with other teams. Its games were released first on PS3, PS Vita and then PS4.
The studio describes its kitchen as the social heart of the building, open to friends, family and visitors, where the team cooks, plays ping-pong and music and shares food and drink. That is the studio's own description of its culture. The team looks for people who bring new ideas and different points of view.
Teams like this need game designers, programmers, artists, animators, audio designers, producers, community staff and testers. If you enjoy making things, building levels, drawing or composing, the kind of creative tinkering Media Molecule's games encourage is a good way to build a portfolio. Check the studio's website and PlayStation Studios pages for current openings. Because the studio is small, people there often work across more than one area, which can be a good way to learn quickly.
Website: www.mediamolecule.com
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