UK game developer Media Molecule is reportedly planning a round of layoffs, with around 20 jobs being on the chopping block. This would represent a 15% to 20% reduction in the company’s workforce, which currently stands at around 135 employees.
Videogames.si has sources that claim a layoff is coming, but It is unclear why Media Molecule is laying off employees. The studio’s most recent game, Dreams, was critically acclaimed, but it is unclear if it is continuing to be a commercial success this many years later. Media Molecule is currently developing a new game called Tren, but it seems like it’s just another game within their Dreams engine.
Media Molecule is best known for developing the LittleBigPlanet series, a puzzle platformer with a big emphasis on content created by its users. The studio also released Dreams in 2020, a sandbox game with extensive game creation tools for users.
The layoffs at Media Molecule come a day after Sony announced that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was the fastest-selling first-party launch in PlayStation history. Other UK studios, such as Frontier and Creative Assembly, are also currently undergoing restructuring with job losses as well.
This is unfortunate news for the video game industry, as Media Molecule is a talented studio with a proven track record of creating innovative and creative games. It is also a reminder that even the most successful studios are not immune to the challenges of the industry.
The layoffs at Media Molecule are a sign of the changing times in the video game industry. As development costs continue to rise, studios are coming under increasing pressure to release commercially successful games. This is like the movie industry but in a worse way. Not everything you put out will blow up commercially, and one bad game for smaller studios has become a reason to lay off workers.
Larger publishers tend to want to make a lot back on their investments, which means developers who can’t afford to make their own games end up facing situations like this.
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