If Dreams is a financial disappointment what should Shuhei Yoshida do with Media Molecule?

[ToddBonzalez]

Title says it all. MM is one of the oddest beasts in the games industry. Certainly they're very good at what they do, but what they do doesn't always have mass market appeal. I think Dreams will be well-received critically, but I can't deny that it feels like a niche, difficult-to-market product.

I'm not sure it will recoup the costs of it's 7+ year development. If this situation comes to pass (i.e. good reviews and poor sales), what do you think SIE should do with Media Molecule? While Little Big Planet was a success in all regards, the Tearaway games didn't do particularly well from a commercial standpoint, and Dreams has had quite a protracted dev cycle at this point.

-Do you let MM keep on keepin' on, developing their acclaimed, yet niche brand of games?
-Do you strongly encourage MM to abandon the build/create/share genre and develop something more conventional that fits their skill set (maybe a stylized action-adventure or platformer)?
-Do you dissolve the studio?

Curoius what era thinks.

 

[SprachBrooks]

Close that studio. That's what will happen.

 

[Deleted member 2791]

Their freedom will be restricted a lot.

 

[Deleted member 19924]

-

 

[Notaskwid]

Dreams will be bigger than Little Big Planet, and that was a massive success.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

Dreams will be huge so nothing will happen to them.

 

[Genetrik]

I think the studio may be the passion project of one or more Sony executives. If they one day change, I would really worry for MM.

 

[PSOreo]

If 'Dreams' does not do well I don't imagine they will be around much longer as a main studio. They'll most likely be tasked with VR titles and direct to PSN titles where they can have the freedom to experiment but keep it low budget.

 

[jsnepo]

If Sony is like EA, they will close Media Molecule. Good thing Sony is not like EA.

 

[Lurcharound]

Given them a decent budget and let them do whatever they want. I'd view 'em like having Kubrick on the books. You're unlikely to get huge revenue but you get crtiticak acclaim and games that push the envelope of what's possible in the medium.

I'm biased because MM have steadily made some of the experiences I've enjoyed the most and I don't care if the masses don't get the joy of mixing creation with playing your own and other creations.

MM deliver artistry and their games illustrate the relationship between player, game and game creators.

As film studios fund smaller, more artistic films from the profits from bigger, more popular fare so should Sont fund MM.

 

[Norgishchef]

Chop it into lines and snort away.

 

[Kolx]

The studio is relatively small and every game they released was successful. Worst case scenario Sony forces them to work on something less risky.

 

[Risq]

Microsoft May come a'knockin

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Dreams should have no problem making back it's budget and will be around for years.
MM was still making money off DLC a few years ago and they rather small.

 

[Angie]

Probably the same that happened to SSM after the new IP cancelation.
They will go back to their most successful IP Little Big Planet.

 

[pswii60]

If Sony is like EA, they will close Media Molecule. Good thing Sony is not like EA.

Click to shrink...

Indeed: Zipper, Sony Liverpool, Incognito, Guerilla Cambridge, Evolution, and BigBig all survived difficult times.

Anyway, Mm is a small studio so I don't expect Dreams to need to sell gangbusters to keep them afloat. Dreams is also the type of game/app that is going to require a metric ton of post launch support, so they're going to need to be around for that.

 

[Neptonic]

Line every employee up and beat their family in front of them personally

 

[dobahking91]

 

[Vishmarx]

Assist their main tech team? They must be masters of creation tools by now if theyre putting something like this in a public platform. Could lead a team of smaller devs in pumping out super cheap gemes in a matter of monhts.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Cancel the PS5.

It's the only way they'll learn.

 

[angel]

COD map factory.

 

[Sorel]

Given them a decent budget and let them do whatever they want. I'd view 'em like having Kubrick on the books. You're unlikely to get huge revenue but you get crtiticak acclaim and games that push the envelope of what's possible in the medium.

I'm biased because MM have steadily made some of the experiences I've enjoyed the most and I don't care if the masses don't get the joy of mixing creation with playing your own and other creations.

MM deliver artistry and their games illustrate the relationship between player, game and game creators.

As film studios fund smaller, more artistic films from the profits from bigger, more popular fare so should Sont fund MM.

Click to shrink...

Shu already said that all games were not made to make profit, some are just prestige titles like they are Oscar movies;

 

[Gamer17]

Cancel the PS5.

Click to shrink...

Lol .that's the only logical step .

 

[Rodjer]

If Sony is like EA, they will close Media Molecule. Good thing Sony is not like EA.

Click to shrink...

Tell that to Guerrilla Cambridge, Zipper, Sony Liverpool, Evolution and BigBen.

 

[Sword Familiar]

I worry about Dreams. Hard to see ut selling well enough. However, I don't think Sony would close the studio, rather have them focus on smaller projects, perhaps.

 

[Toumari]

Ship PS5 with Dreams for free.

 

[lucebuce]

Cancel the PS5.

It's the only way they'll learn.

Click to shrink...

I like the way you think. I'll put in a good word for you with my uncle who works at Sony.

 

[nib95]

If you look at the Company House account records for Media Molecule, they're still a profitable studio. They're a small studio with around 50+ developers, so the upkeep probably isn't massive. I think Sony will keep them because they offer diversity and forward thinking technological innovation to the platform.

That said, they're based in the UK and I've noticed Sony have a habit of closing poorer performing UK based studios, likely down to the higher associated costs. But again, I doubt MM will meet the same fate, since as mentioned, they're fresh, innovative, often times ground breaking (great for brand perception) and ultimately still profitable.

 

[BareBear]

At this point, I don't even care any more.

 

[tolkir]

Same freedom, less budget to make AA games instead of revolutionary games.

 

[Jawbreaker]

Not worth entertaining because Dreams is going to blow minds and have amazing word of mouth.

 

[Pein]

Tell that to Guerrilla Cambridge, Zipper, Sony Liverpool, Evolution and BigBen.

Click to shrink...

Let's be honest,None of those studios were really setting the sales charts on fire.

Evolution and zipper had a couple of bombs one after another.

 

[QuiteSomething]

It's a small studio making a prestige game. MM is gonna be fine
And I think that Dreams will be a success. Sony, just don't fuck it up with lackluster marketing and no crossgen

 

[isahn]

add loot-boxes to the game and put it on PS+ IGC asap

 

[Vaibhav]

They should be making killer app for vr with amazing art style they are using in dream.

Just create a campaign with tools they have created.

 

[Bioshocker]

I fear something bad might happen. But on the other hand, what can Sony honestly expect from a title like Dreams?

I love what MM do. Little Big Planet was good, but Tearaway is one of my favourite games of all time. I still think Dreams might be too big and weird for its own good. But on the other hand, if MM didn't make it, who would? The industry needs them.

 

[Sedated]

I think they haven't posted losses while Dreams has been in development. So it's not netting Sony a huge loss here if the game fails. Sony won't be axing the studio if it fails tho coz they r small with not much cost to upkeep. They will probably be asked to make something Sony wants at that time instead of letting mm choose like a safer bet option.

Also this same question has been asked so many times over this game... It's pretty tiring seeing this.

 

[Plinkerton]

I'd give them a licensed property to work on. Let them keep the same play/create/share mentality but wrap it up in something a bit more commercial.

Essentially the Spider-Man/Insomniac approach. The talent is there, just give them something that the mass market will take notice of.

 

[angel]

Ship PS5 with Dreams for free.

Click to shrink...

Make it the CD player visualizer.

 

[WieDerrickWie]

Hopefully they force Mark Healey to finally add the stage creator to Rag Doll Kung Fu

 

[blastprocessor]

Sorry more likely Bend will close before MM

 

[invincible2020]

I can guarantee that Dreams will be the breath of fresh air that the industry needs. After playing just a few games which where made by mm devs in 5 minutes i could not believe how addictive these games where. This coupled with VR in day one . Making and playing your games in Vr will once again be system seller. I tried dreams at EGX and to say i was impressed was an understatement. People that Sony think will let these unique talented people go are seriously dillusional.

 

[Alex840]

Media Molecule are one of the few studios that have been turning a profit since their last game, despite not releasing anything for a while.

They're one of Sony's smallest studios so their overheads are pretty small. (Around 50 people).

I think even if Dreams doesn't set the world alight, they'll be fine.

 

[Cyclopsfire21]

MM has been one of Sonys most successful studios ever. Every game they personally made has never scored beneath an 80 MC
Not only that but they're a really small studio to boot, who was built to avoid the high cost of games.
Sony has given most if not all of their studio's multiple chances at success before it gets to this point.

 

[gofreak]

What will he do if it's a big success?

If it's merely sustainable?

I would guess Sony expects to support Dreams as a 'service game' well into the PS5 gen at least if market interest at least hits a certain minimum level. I don't think it necesaarily has to be an immediate smash.

What should he do if it's a total failure? Keep them going. Probably another smaller scale venture. Their work is valuable in support of other studios and Sony tech (which Sony has been paying MM for). Their pedigree warrants more than one do-or-die chance.

But I don't expect this will be an issue.

Maybe my perception is wrong but why does there almost seem to be eager anticipation of a MM failure in some quarters? It's never any less gross when it rears its head.

 

[Ostinatto]

You can make Nintendo games inside Dreams, so i doubt it will fail.

 

[danhz]

I dont even expect Dreams to reach 1-1.5Mcopies..and I think they expect sth similar too.

Since their art is very nice, I would make them do games as Ori or Hollow Knight

 

[replicantUK]

Title says it all. MM is one of the oddest beasts in the games industry. Certainly they're very good at what they do, but what they do doesn't always have mass market appeal. I think Dreams will be well-received critically, but I can't deny that it feels like a niche, difficult-to-market product.

I'm not sure it will recoup the costs of it's 7+ year development. If this situation comes to pass (i.e. good reviews and poor sales), what do you think SIE should do with Media Molecule? While Little Big Planet was a success in all regards, the Tearaway games didn't do particularly well from a commercial standpoint, and Dreams has had quite a protracted dev cycle at this point.

-Do you let MM keep on keepin' on, developing their acclaimed, yet niche brand of games?
-Do you strongly encourage MM to abandon the build/create/share genre and develop something more conventional that fits their skill set (maybe a stylized action-adventure or platformer)?
-Do you dissolve the studio?

Curoius what era thinks.

Click to shrink...

Not a fan of these negative fishing for opinion posts.

How about we wait and see how Dreams performs before speculating the potential demise of a talented studio....

 

[Iucidium]

Close that studio. That's what will happen.

Click to shrink...

.

 

[cw_sasuke]

This thread is weird...nothing will happen since Sony is supporting them even at this point. I doubt they have some crazy expectations for the game - if there was a mayor issue they would have canned the project ages ago.

Sales or not they believe in the teams vision and the Playstation plattform is strong enough, that they can afford to take a hit on such a project as long as it delivers.

You can make Nintendo games inside Dreams, so i doubt it will fail.

Click to shrink...

Thats not how this works.
But i also doubt it will fail...lol.

Not a fan of these negative fishing for opinion posts.

How about we wait and see how Dreams performs before speculating the potential demise of a talented studio....

Click to shrink...

Completely agree....Era and all these Doom threads are a mess.
Feels like too many hungry wolves just waiting for big dev studios or publishers to fail so that they can drop a snarky comment or play Business consultant.

Sony isnt struggling...and no one develops content like MM2 - there is no need to kill them. Dreams will likely be treated as a plattform and be on PS4/PS5. Its a longterm investment.