PlayStation first-party studio Media Molecule, the team behind Dreams and LittleBigPlanet, is reportedly set to lay off around 20 employees. This is according to a new report Sports Illustrated’s GLHFIt says news of the impending layoffs was revealed at an internal meeting today at the studio.
The layoffs are set to reduce the team’s staff by 15 to 20%, along with a headcount reduction of 135 to 115 percent. GLHF. The report does not indicate a specific reason beyond the staff cuts, however Game Informer PlayStation has reached out to confirm the layoffs and related numbers, why the layoffs are happening, and whether affected employees will receive severance; We’ll update the story if we learn more or receive a comment from PlayStation.
Media Molecule was originally an independent studio before PlayStation acquired it in 2010. The team is responsible for LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, Tearaway, and Dreams. read Game Informers Check out LittleBigPlanet 2 here and then check out our Dreams review.
These reported Media Molecule layoffs unfortunately join an ever-growing list of layoffs that will affect studios behind games released in 2023, which by all accounts is one of the best years in gaming in terms of releases. In January, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees amid its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which was completed earlier this month.
In August, Striking Distance Studios, the team behind last year’s The Callisto Protocol, laid off more than 30 employees, and the same month, Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare laid off 50 employees, including longtime studio veterans. The following month, in September, Immortals of Avium developer Ascendant Studios laid off about 45% of its staff.
Just this month, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog laid off at least 25 employees and Telltale Games laid off employees, although the actual number of laid off employees has not yet been revealed.
hearts Game Informer Staff are with everyone affected by these layoffs and still at the studio.
(Source: GLHF)
