Dreams Early Access has ~100,000 players

[SunBroDave]

This comes from Media Molecule Communications Manager Abbie Heppe on the latest episode of the AIAS Game Maker's Notebook podcast (player count is mentioned at 12:57). For context, Dreams Early Access launched back in April in North America and Europe, and is still available for $29.99.

Highly recommend you check out the full episode, as well as the other episodes of the show - usually it's Insomniac's Ted Price sitting down with another dev to discuss various aspects of game development that the general public might not be aware of. Recently they've done some great interviews with Leonard Boyarsky about The Outer Worlds and Shannon Studstill about God of War.

 

[Deleted member 51691]

Not bad for early access

Hopefully it starts to build momentum with the full release

 

[Border]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

 

[SinkFla]

I really would love to try it out. I want to make a fighting game but I wonder how difficult that would be in dreams lol.

 

[Ferrio]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

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There's a lot more than that, that's just what makes the headlines. I haven't bought it myself, but soon as it's out of EA I will. It's just a big hot bed for crazy gaming ideas, stories etc. I don't know if it'll sell well, but it deserves to since it's such a great display of video game creativity.

 

[Terraforce]

That's honestly way less than I expected.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

One of the most overlooked games of the year.

There's a lot more than that, that's just what makes the headlines. I haven't bought it myself, but soon as it's out of EA I will.

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Why wouldn't you get it now? It's very well priced.

 

[Ferrio]

Why wouldn't you get it now? It's very well priced.

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Mainly cause I don't use my PS4 much, and I'd rather have a Pro for it. Hoping for the rumored PS5 version cause I'm going to skip the PS4 pro altogether.

 

[vivftp]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

Click to shrink...

They've been using the feedback of the EA to improve Dreams and make it more user friendly. It's also giving creators time to learn the tools and improve their skills. There have already been a number of great small games made and that will only build. It's good to keep things in perspective though, you have to remember EA has been out several months and most of the content from the community is being done by lone individuals on their free time. With the full game there will be templates for creators to use and far more assets available to them to get projects up and running faster. Even still the EA has provided a lot of impressive content.

100k for a product that has no main campaign yet and very little marketing is pretty decent. It should do quite nicely on this gen and I forsee it being a killer app on next gen.

 

[Border]

There's a lot more than that, that's just what makes the headlines. I haven't bought it myself, but soon as it's out of EA I will. It's just a big hot bed for crazy gaming ideas, stories etc. I don't know if it'll sell well, but it deserves to since it's such a great display of video game creativity.

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Why not just buy it now and save $30 off the retail price?

I get that there's a lot of other stuff on the Dreams platform, but it just doesn't seem to really be surfaced by the larger community and press. I'm surprised that there aren't more articles like "10 Best Dreams games" or whatnot....it seems like Dreams would provide a wealth of articles for content-hungry and click-hungry blogs/sites.

 

[Ferrio]

Why not just buy it now and save $30 off the retail price?

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Cause the price doesn't factor in my decisions. Though I guess you're right I could buy it and let it sit *shrug*.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

Cause the price doesn't factor in my decisions. Though I guess you're right I could buy it and let it sit *shrug*.

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There's plenty to enjoy to get your $20 out of it - and come back later when they add PSVR and PS5 support.

 

[Paquete_PT]

I bought the early access and have spent perhaps 3h in the game. There is no way I can build anything good, it's too time consuming. And nothing that I played at the time was that good. But this was way back in the beginning, I'll be there again when the game launches to see what the community has come up with

 

[Jump_Button]

Really need a better name then Dreams

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

Click to shrink...

There's several original ideas making the rounds but it's easy to be ignorant I guess

 

[degauss]

Really need a better name then Dreams

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Huh?

 

[Dabi3]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

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Well that's far from the case

 

[Lant_War]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

Click to shrink...

There are far more completely original games in Dreams than just remakes, which are simply what catch the most attention.

You are however the proof of an actual problem the game will have, and it's showcasing the original games to players. It's much easier to show remakes.

 

[pswii60]

There's several original ideas making the rounds but it's easy to be ignorant I guess

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I think that was their point when they said "garnered a lot of interest".

It's those "remakes" that seem to get all the attention, rather than the original ideas. Which is a shame.

That's not the same as saying there is no interesting original content being made in Dreams, which there clearly is.

 

[JaseC64]

I agree with most in that they should launch it with ps5. It will still be a cross gen game but it will boost reception and awareness. Launch it with MM made levels that mimick playable levels of the games launching with ps5 to get more cross product promotion or such.

 

[HStallion]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

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Because EA has been a muted affair. They have the die hard folks who dove in early and are using them to bug test and streamline or improve many parts of the game on top of letting people get used to the tools and start creating and sharing content.

 

[ghostcrew]

Is it still available to buy? They said when they launched Early Access in April that it'd be limited in quantity.

It's great. If you're curious at all you should get in now.

 

[RecRoulette]

Not bad considering most word of mouth is "CHECK OUT [GAME] MADE IN DREAMS!"

And honestly that's probably the best move for them right now (laying low). Nail the curation and get all of that down for the proper launch.

 

[Orioto]

Yeah i'm pretty sure most of those 100k users are gone already, just by seeing how much play the most popular dreams have.
But the problem will remain i fear, and the problem is that Dreams is a insane tool, and will be used by artists who wants to do stuff. But it's not sure yet they'll be able to create a dynamic where an audience exists. By that i mean a community of people not there to create, but to enjoy the content.

 

[Border]

There's several original ideas making the rounds but it's easy to be ignorant I guess

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I didn't say there were no original games, just that the ones you see highlighted in media are largely remakes or crazy spins on existing concepts and IPs.

You are however the proof of an actual problem the game will have, and it's showcasing the original games to players. It's much easier to show remakes.

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I'm a little surprised that they don't have the Playstation blog and Playstation Twitter highlighting some of the more ambitious original projects. Selling this game to a wider audience I think requires more of a "Look at what you can play" angle than a "Look at what you can make" point-of-view.

I guess some part of the problem is that it's inherently risky to hinge your marketing around user-made creations, because this is the internet and any user you highlight could be some kind of shitbag who wants an audience.

 

[Falchion]

That's really cool, I'm in on the early access but you can tell this is going to blow up when it actually releases.

 

[Temascos]

One of the easier sells of LBP was that it had a pretty fun, if basic, story mode that you could play with others, and from there you start doing the creative stuff. The short campaign for Dreams could hinder something like that and I hope it has been expanded and fleshed out based on what they have learned in the past year.

 

[Stinkinmushroom]

That's honestly way less than I expected.

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The game is in early access wich means no marketing at all and no physical sales. I think 100k is actually quite good. Have you ever seen it in the PSStore even? Its only available to those that actually search for it.

 

[Hale-XF11]

I tried getting into it as a music creator but I found the tools so frustrating and confusing to use that I just gave up.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

That's really cool, I'm in on the early access but you can tell this is going to blow up when it actually releases.

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There are little success stories where the game is barely selling in EA, and blows up upon release. 100k sold during 8 months sounds bad, like, I fear for the release and the future of MM bad.

All the viral games like PUBG or Autochess go big way before the official release. This is a community driven game, and I fear that being PS4 only, the game is doomed to never get into the hands of popular content creators.

 

[Jeffram]

That's awesome. If only 1% (conservative) of them make 1 thing worth playing/seeing, there will be 1,000 dreams worth playing at launch.

 

[SilverX]

There are little success stories where the game is barely selling in EA, and blows up upon release. 100k sold during 8 months sounds bad, like, I fear for the release and the future of MM bad.

All the viral games like PUBG or Autochess go big way before the official release. This is a community driven game, and I fear that being PS4 only, the game is doomed to never get into the hands of popular content creators.

Click to shrink...

When the game launches, it'll be treated like a bigger sized PS4 exclusive. The online creation portion is EA, not the story campaign. It'll be getting a real, first party marketing push unlike most early access games

 

[Deleted member 52190]

There are little success stories where the game is barely selling in EA, and blows up upon release. 100k sold during 8 months sounds bad, like, I fear for the release and the future of MM bad.

All the viral games like PUBG or Autochess go big way before the official release. This is a community driven game, and I fear that being PS4 only, the game is doomed to never get into the hands of popular content creators.

Click to shrink...

They already confirmed support to the ps5.

 

[Khrol]

Seems catastrophic. Do we know how many are still actively playing the game?

 

[Gerwant]

When the game launches, it'll be treated like a bigger sized PS4 exclusive. The online creation portion is EA, not the story campaign. It'll be getting a real, first party marketing push unlike most early access games

Click to shrink...

It will get a marketing push similar to Gravity Rush.

 

[RelaxItsJustMe]

So what are the odds of them eventually releasing a Ps5 Dreams version with I assume some differences that make the Ps4 version worse in comparison?

Since it's early access now the game's cheaper and I should probably pick it up. But I can't shed the thought of a remastered version ala TLoU that's just straight up better than the Ps4 version. I also don't actually plan on playing it before the Ps5 releases btw.

 

[Rosebud]

It will get a marketing push similar to Gravity Rush.

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https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2...ng-indie-dev-teams-to-make-content-in-dreams/

 

[Tora]

I bought it, messed around for 2 hours and left it at that.

Bought mainly to support it, waiting for this game to be fully cooked.

 

[Evolution of Metal]

They already confirmed support to the ps5.

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That is dandy, but it doesn't change the fact that out of 100m PS4 owners, only 100k are interested in it enough to buy atm.

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2...ng-indie-dev-teams-to-make-content-in-dreams/

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I saw this as a double edged sword:
• Experienced gamemakers are creating content
• The audience is not building anything impressive so MM hires content creators

Marketing, reviews, launch impressions are all in the air, but the game has no momentum in the early-access state.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

I bought it, messed around for 2 hours and left it at that.

Bought mainly to support it, waiting for this game to be fully cooked.

Click to shrink...

It isn't really a game, it's a platform. The joy comes from either creation or discovery. Try it out today, there's a lot of great content curated for you to enjoy.

I saw this as a double edged sword:
• The audience is not building anything impressive so MM hires content creators

Click to shrink...

Nobody is saying that though. Especially not MM. I always wondered what known studies or creators would do with these tools, I think it's a cool idea.

And the game has no momentum because you are all ignoring it. :/

 

[MeltedDreams]

It will get a marketing push similar to Gravity Rush.

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Maybe. Sony is all in with their marketing only for AAA blockbusters. Best case scenario - Dreams available on PS Now for the PS5 launch.

 

[Deleted member 45414]

Honestly, if they went full YouTube with it, it would be insane, it's such a powerful suite of tools at like a literal fraction of the cost of comparable hardware/software necessary to do the same things, and browsing through creations is a joy.

For meit'll be an on/off game for as long as it exists, whenever I'm fit to burst with creative energy, I've got a place to go and just let loose :)

 

[Deleted member 52190]

That is dandy, but it doesn't change the fact that out of 100m PS4 owners, only 100k are interested in it enough to buy atm.



I saw this as a double edged sword:
• Experienced gamemakers are creating content
• The audience is not building anything impressive so MM hires content creators

Marketing, reviews, launch impressions are all in the air, but the game has no momentum in the early-access state.

Click to shrink...

It is what it is.

Not everybody is going to buy a game to make a game, only a few peopel will do.

 

[Terraforce]

The game is in early access wich means no marketing at all and no physical sales. I think 100k is actually quite good. Have you ever seen it in the PSStore even? Its only available to those that actually search for it.

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Pretty sure when it first came out it was on the front page like any other new release. But yeah marketing has been comparatively subdued.

 

[Komo]

People keep saying that Dreams is going to be big, but interest so far seems pretty muted.

I feel like they launched Early Access hoping that the users would create a bunch of killer apps, but the only output that has garnered a lot of interest has been "Hey look I made Crash Bandicoot/Wipeout/Metal Gear!"

Click to shrink...

Yeah if Dreams wasn't limited to a single platform it would blow up.

 

[Tora]

It isn't really a game, it's a platform. The joy comes from either creation or discovery. Try it out today, there's a lot of great content curated for you to enjoy.



Nobody is saying that though. Especially not MM. I always wondered what known studies or creators would do with these tools, I think it's a cool idea.

And the game has no momentum because you are all ignoring it. :/

Click to shrink...

Aren't MM making a story mode?

I kinda just wanna play that, I'm really strapped for time and I mainly play on Switch now. You're right though, It's been a while so i'll see what cool creations there are now :)

 

[Rosebud]

That is dandy, but it doesn't change the fact that out of 100m PS4 owners, only 100k are interested in it enough to buy atm.



I saw this as a double edged sword:
• Experienced gamemakers are creating content
• The audience is not building anything impressive so MM hires content creators

Marketing, reviews, launch impressions are all in the air, but the game has no momentum in the early-access state.

Click to shrink...

The audience IS making impressive things, but even in this forum people don't know it. Need some famous devs to push it.

 

[SilverX]

It will get a marketing push similar to Gravity Rush.

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Dreams has been worked on this entire gen as nearly its own game creation platform and Media Molecule is an acclaimed studio, its going to get a considerable push.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

Aren't MM making a story mode?

I kinda just wanna play that, I'm really strapped for time and I mainly play on Switch now. You're right though, It's been a while so i'll see what cool creations there are now :)

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A lot of the experiences on Dreams are bite sized, you should really try it out sometime!

 

[Border]

They ought to get some teams from Sony Worldwide Studios to make some creative and bite-sized experiences, just to show off what is capable and generate some high-quality assets for people to use. Maybe have Naughty Dog make a Crash Bandicoot level or something.