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Media Molecule

Games & Interactive

Play, Create, Share

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5
Founded
2006
Employees
51-200
Offices
3

About Media Molecule

Media Molecule is a British video game development studio and a first-party developer within Sony Interactive Entertainment’s PlayStation Studios organization. Founded in 2006, the Guildford-based team is known for games and creative platforms built around player expression, community participation, and interactive experimentation.

The studio’s work spans game design, proprietary engine and creative-tool development, real-time audio-visual systems, community curation, and live-service operations. Its creative philosophy is closely associated with “Play, Create, Share”: enabling players to make, customize, and share their own experiences as well as play studio-created content.

Creative platforms and games

Media Molecule developed the original LittleBigPlanet for PlayStation 3, followed by LittleBigPlanet 2, extending the series’ user-generated-content tools and collaborative play. The studio also created the tactile papercraft adventure Tearaway for PlayStation Vita and its expanded PlayStation 4 adaptation, Tearaway Unfolded.

In 2020, it released Dreams, a digital creation suite in which players could sculpt, animate, compose music, program, and publish games and interactive experiences within one environment. Active live-service feature updates for Dreams concluded in September 2023 as the studio transitioned toward its next original PlayStation project.

Capabilities

  • First-party video game development
  • Creative sandbox and user-generated-content platforms
  • Proprietary game-engine software engineering
  • Real-time creative and interactive tools
  • Physics-based platforming and interactive art
  • Community-driven gaming systems and content curation

Media Molecule operates as Media Molecule Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited. Its development work remains distinct within the PlayStation Studios network, with its main operations centered in Guildford and a satellite workspace in Brighton.

More about Media Molecule

Founding and recognition

Media Molecule was incorporated in January 2006 by former Lionhead Studios developers Mark Healey, Alex Evans, David Smith, and Kareem Ettouney, alongside Chris Lee and Mags Hardwick. The founders had previously collaborated on Rag Doll Kung Fu while at Lionhead.

The original LittleBigPlanet earned multiple BAFTA Video Game Awards, while Media Molecule received Studio of the Year at the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards.

Leadership and collaboration

The studio’s work has been led under Studio Director Siobhan Reddy. Its transition to a new original PlayStation project followed the conclusion of active Dreams feature updates, with John Beech identified as Creative Director for that next project.

Tearaway Unfolded was developed in partnership with Tarsier Studios.

Notable credits

5 credits
  • LittleBigPlanet
  • LittleBigPlanet 2
  • Tearaway
  • Tearaway Unfolded
  • Dreams

Offices

Where Media Molecule is based

3 locations

  • Guildford Studio

    Headquarters
    Wey House, Farnham Road (Park Street), Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4YD / GU1 4HB, United KingdomGuildford, England, United Kingdom

    Main studio facility housing central game design, programming, art direction, and executive management.

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  • Mm Brighton

    Lighthouse, Unit 3, 28 Kensington Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 4AJ, United KingdomBrighton, England, United Kingdom

    Opened 2016

    Satellite workspace established in October 2016 to support south-coast staff and development of web, community, and engine features.

    View mapOffice website

  • Brighton and Hove office

    Brighton and Hove, England, United Kingdom

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Find your next role at Media Molecule

5 jobs