Media Molecule, the renowned video game developer, has confirmed a round of layoffs, as reported by 'Good Luck Have Fun (GLHF). The Guildford-based company, known for the LittleBigPlanet series and Dreams, a game creation platform, is planning on reducing its workforce from 135 to 115.

The highly respected studio was co-founded by Mark Healey, Alex Evans, David Smith, and Kareem Ettouney, all former developers at the dismissed Lionhead, the Fable creator company. Media Molecule gained prominence after the creation of LittleBigPlanet in 2008 for PlayStation 3. Sony later purchased the company in 2010, commissioning it to work on a sequel as well as the PlayStation Vita platformer Tearaway.

The company's latest release, Dreams, was launched in 2020 for PlayStation 4. However, live support for the game ended earlier last month, signaling the lack of future updates for the game and causing community events linked with the game to wrap up. Co-founder Mark Healey resigned in April after establishing the studio 17 years ago.

Media Molecule announced that they have shifted their attention towards "an exciting new project", however, no launch timetable was provided. Sony, the parent company, has been approached for comments by IGN.

It is important to note that 2023 has witnessed extensive layoffs across several gaming studios. Major companies such as Cambridge studio Frontier, Fortnite maker Epic Games, and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red have all suffered from significant staff reductions. Other casualties in the gaming industry include studio closures like Saints Row developer Volition and large-scale layoffs at Telltale Games and Team17, the creator of Worms.