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Sony will stop updating ‘Dreams’ later this year
Media Molecule will soon soon stop working on game creation platform 'Dreams' as it transitions to an 'exciting new project.'
Sony permanently shuts down LittleBigPlanet's PS3 and Vita servers
PlayStation temporarily disabled the games' online services in May following attacks by hackers.
'Sackboy: A Big Adventure' is a LittleBigPlanet spin-off for PS5
Sony's Sackboy mascot is back.
Games For Change opens free registrations for its virtual 2020 festival
For the first time in its 17-year history, the Games For Change Festival will be free to attend. As in past years, they'll also be an awards ceremony honoring those in the game industry who have had a significant social impact. Games For Change also announced four additional keynote speakers.
PS4 game-builder 'Dreams' is now available as a free to play demo
'Dreams' for the PS4 is now available in demo form. Happy creating.
'Dreams' creators can apply to sell their work beyond the PS4
The PS4 title Dreams is a surprisingly powerful creative tool for both hobbyist game creators and artists, and Media Molecule wants to ensure at least some of those people are rewarded for their talent. The studio has launched a beta evaluation program that will let creators sell their work "off PlayStation" -- say, to produce a music video or poster. You own the rights to your original creations in Dreams, Media Molecule said, and the company wants to "make it easier" for you to profit from that work.
Game-making 'Dreams' arrives on PS4 February 14th
Media Molecule, the developer behind PlayStation series LittleBigPlanet, has been working on its next game, Dreams, for literally years. But in today's State of Play event, the company finally announced a release date: Dreams arrives on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2020.
‘Dreams’ turns the PS4 into a charming game development kit
Dreams is finally here. The latest game by Media Molecule, the delightfully whimsical studio behind LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway, was first teased at the PlayStation 4 reveal event in February 2013. A Creator Early Access was released on Tuesday (April 16th), mere hours before Mark Cerny, a systems architect at Sony, revealed the first details about the PlayStation 5. Dreams, then, was dangerously close to missing an entire console generation.
'Dreams' early access begins April 16th on PS4
If you've been patiently waiting for Media Molecule's Dreams, you'll be happy to learn that early access begins April 16th. You'll be able to buy the PS4 crafting tool and LittleBigPlanet follow-up in the PlayStation Store for $30 in the US, and $40 in Canada. Dreams isn't fully built-out yet, but this rough release will let users test some of the core functions -- like designing games, creating music and sculpting characters.
Media Molecule's 'Dreams' is for YouTubers and Twitch streamers
When Alex Evans, co-founder of Sony PlayStation first-party studio Media Molecule, announced Dreams onstage at E3 this week, there was a lot of confusion in the audience and on social media. And that's okay, according to Evans. "What we wanted to do was get it out there and get people talking about it. And your staff are right to be scratching their heads. ... If it's on your radar, fantastic. Because it is hard to take it in. The main confusion I've seen reading on the net does seem to be that people are like, 'Is it a movie maker? Is it a game maker? What is it?' The communities will probably define that. But it's absolutely a game. We are making games with it. What you will choose to make with it, what the community will choose to make with it -- that's the cool thing. We don't know."
Watch winter come to LittleBigPlanet 3 in Game of Thrones intro
"Adorable" is not an adjective often used when describing HBO's Game of Thrones; nor can it be used in reference to George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Powered by LittleBigPlanet 3, however, the show's theme does have a certain charm, thanks to creator Aaaaalec. [Thanks, @Jamiecolliver!]
Canada celebrates Boxing Day with two-game PS4 bundle
Boxing Day, the festive day following Christmas in which folks shop even more is upon us, friends. To celebrate, Sony will offer Canadian players a new PS4 bundle that includes two games. For $450, players can pick up the 500 GB PS4 console with NHL 15 (because Canada) and LittleBigPlanet 3 this Friday, December 26. Pre-orders for the Boxing Day bundle open on Wednesday, and it will be available through "major retailers." Canada's Boxing Day bundle's value compares fairly well to previous ones: Sony offered a PS4 for $400 earlier this month that packed in the buyer's choice of one game out of four options, LittleBigPlanet 3 being one of them. Walmart later sweetened that deal by tacking a $50 gift card onto the offer. While NHL 15 wasn't received well at its launch due to a number of missing modes, some of which returned in via patches, the platforming sequel starring Sackboy did get praise in our review for its "vibrant and inviting" world. [Image: Sony]
LittleBigPlanet 3 will support past DLC, collections
The LittleBigPlanet series has an expansive DLC wardrobe, including level packs and themed costumes, but it seems like none of it will ever go out of style - all free and purchased content released for LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2 will carry over to the PS3 and PS4's LittleBigPlanet 3, a PlayStation Blog post has revealed. Past content can be transferred via a "simple re-download from LBP3's in-game store," which packs it all back into the PopIt menu that hovers beside your character. Progress made in yesteryear isn't forgotten, either - "every single Costume Piece, Material, Object, Music Track and any other creative goodies that you have collected in your previous adventures" can also be brought into LBP3. As a refresher, any meticulously-crafted levels you made in previous LBP games can be found in the continuation of LittleBigPlanet Earth, which will let you "pick up exactly where you left off with your published creations." Custom-created content can also be transferred to a PS4 by publishing levels littered with related Prize Bubbles, then returning in LBP3 to pick up those materials. Whichever console you choose, you can reunite with Sackboy on November 18 (or November 26 in Europe). If you already know you're interested, mind the PlayStation-themed pre-order costumes before you make your purchase. [Image: Media Molecule]
Costume Quest 2 drags Sackboy to PS4, PS3 next week
Double Fine's dress-up RPG Costume Quest 2 will launch on PS3 and PS4 next Tuesday, October 28, publisher Midnight City announced. The PlayStation versions of the game will also receive an exclusive Sackboy costume modeled after the hero of Media Molecule's popular platforming brand, LittleBigPlanet. The Sackboy costume will be available for free to PS4 and PS3 players as part of an update to the game. To unlock it, quest-goers must find four pieces of the costume tucked away in the game. While there's no set release date for the Sackboy update, it is expected to go live "in the coming weeks." Costume Quest 2 is already available to PC, Mac and Linux players via Steam for $14.99. No launch date has been announced for the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U versions as of yet. [Image: Midnight City]
LittleBigPlanet 3 launch slightly delayed in Europe
European gamers will be waiting a bit longer than their American counterparts for the debut of the PlayStation's creative platformer LittleBigPlanet 3, as the game has been delayed by one week. "We're currently working our socks off with Sackboy and friends to get the game to you as soon as possible but it's recently come to our attention that we're going to have to move the release of LittleBigPlanet 3 in Europe by one week to give Sackboy the best opportunity to shine," reads a notice on the European PlayStation.blog. "This was a very difficult decision to make but since LittleBigPlanet is such a globally appealing game, it seemed only right to give more people the chance to get to know Sackboy and his new friends." LittleBigPlanet 3 is now slated to reach Sony consoles in North America on November 18 while the game will launch in Europe on November 26. [Image: Sony]
LittleBigPlanet 3 gets a bit of 'House' actor Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie, English renaissance man and star of the long-running Fox drama House, is the voice of Newton, the antagonist in LittleBigPlanet 3, Media Molecule revealed today. This news is extra-special because it puts Laurie opposite Stephen Fry, who voices the game's narrator and happens to be Laurie's comedic partner in the classic BBC sketch show A Bit of Fry and Laurie. "The strange thing is I did not know, until I got here, that he was the narrator," Laurie says in his reveal video. "But it was actually completely delightful to think that he's on the other end of this – well, beginning and end of the game – as the all-wise, all-seeing, all-knowing narrator. Oh my god, how he would love to be described as those things: all-wise, all-knowing and all-seeing. Which he is, of course." LittleBigPlanet 3 also features the voices of Peter Serafinowicz (Shaun of the Dead), Simon Greenall (Alan Partridge), Nolan North (Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor) and Tara Strong (The Fairly OddParents). A few returning actors and characters are still to be revealed, Media Molecule teases. Prepare yourself for LittleBigPlanet 3 with a clip from A Bit of Fry and Laurie after the break. [Image: Sony]
Gamescom Awards evolve, favor 2K's monstrous game
The votes are in, and the winner of the Gamescom 2014 Awards is ... *drumroll* Oh, you saw the headline and figured out the pun already? Well, you're right; it's Evolve, the 4v1 monster-on-human huntfest from Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studios. The game took home not only the award for "Best of Gamescom," but also the awards for "Best Console Game Microsoft Xbox," "Best PC Game," "Best Action Game" and "Best Online Multiplayer Game." Other highlights include Super Smash Bros. taking home the "Best Mobile Game" award for its 3DS iteration, while its console counterpart took home the "Most Wanted Consumer Award," a title that premiered at this year's ceremony. LittleBigPlanet 3 also won multiple awards, specifically the "Best Social / Casual / Online Game" award and the "Best Family Game" award. We're relatively sure that Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call won the award for "Best Simulation Game" due to its simulation of music, but we can pretend it won because it simulates being an adorable JRPG character singing along to catchy tunes, too. Check out the full list of winners after the break.
Tearaway Unfolded coming to PlayStation 4
Media Molecule took the stage at Sony's Gamescom press conference to announce Tearaway Unfolded, an upgraded, enhanced version of the Vita's Tearaway slated to hit the PlayStation 4 next year. Developing for the PlayStation 4 allowed Media Molecule to add wholly new gimmicks. One such gimmick featured a player exploring the game world by using the lightbar on his PlayStation 4 as a makeshift flashlight that can only illuminate objects in the game. Another saw a player catch an object thrown by a character in the game, only to shake it up, fling it back and destroy a building in the background. Don't be confused by these new tricks, however. This is not a new game. Instead, Media Molecule claims that Tearaway Unfolded is the "same overall journey as the Vita, only on the big screen." Following the press conference, the PlayStation.blog posted additional information on Tearaway. Almost all of it is contained in the trailer below the break, but keep in mind that the game will run at 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second when it makes its PlayStation 4 debut. [Image: Sony]
LittleBigPlanet 3 private beta bounces in next month
The private beta for LittleBigPlanet 3 begins in August, a community manager writes on the LittleBigPlanet fansite. Media Molecule has hand-picked a small number of members from that site to receive beta invites, set to be distributed via private message in the "next couple of weeks." Sony announced LittleBigPlanet 3 during its E3 conference this year, and it's due to hit PS4 and PS3 in November. We got to play a level designed to show off the new characters in LittleBigPlanet 3 during E3, and found it to be charming with tons of fun level-creation opportunities. Only one disappointment: "Once again, certain parts of the game will be closed off to you if you don't have the appropriate number of play partners." We have to interact with actual people? Fine.
Media Molecule embraces the glitch in new PS4 video
A warning straight away: There are a lot of flashing lights and colors in the above video, so if you're sensitive to that sort of thing, be careful. That should give you an idea of just how mad this latest Media Molecule madness is. What you're watching is taken from Media Molecule's unannounced PS4 project, but it's all the result of a rendering error. After discovering the glitch, the LittleBigPlanet dev decided it was freaky enough to publish, so it layered some techno music over the top and sent the video forth onto the Internet. As first looks at a game go, it's... different.
