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[IbizaPocholo]

Media Molecule wants Dreams games published "to other devices and beyond"

Media Molecule's plans for Dreams extend to giving users full commercial ownership of their creations, and allowing the…

www.gamesindustry.biz

Media Molecule's plans for Dreams extend to giving users full commercial ownership of their creations, and allowing them to publish their games on other platforms.

Dreams is a PlayStation 4 exclusive from a studio that is owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The same was true of another Media Molecule IP, LittleBigPlanet, which was also a platform for user-generated content. However, anything made with LBP's tools were closely tied to the game and the console.

GamesIndustry.biz spoke to Kareem Ettouney, the studio's co-founder and art director, at the View Conference in Turin, Italy. In a Q&A session after a talk on the power of Dreams' toolset, Ettouney articulated that Media Molecule wanted its players to be able to publish any games or art they make outside of the platform and the Sony ecosystem.

"The answer is yes," he said. "We want people to be able to go to the moon with their projects. We already have a commercial license, which means when you get Dreams you can apply to get the commercial license... And then everything you make in Dreams is yours to use commercially outside of Dreams.

[UPDATE]: After the publication of this article, a Media Molecule representative reached out to say Ettouney misspoke, that there is no commercial license available for Dreams at the moment, but it is something the studio is looking into.[/UPDATE]

"The very limited exporting features the moment are like exporting a video, but we have in the long-term [plans for] exporting a standalone game outside of Dreams entirely -- exporting to other devices and beyond.

"But step one is to show our intent -- so that from the very beginning we are doing this commercial concept, which means that everything you do in Dreams is yours. You can use it. People in the Dreams community have already been using it to make graphic design, album covers and stuff like that. Using it for their portfolios and showreels.

Ettouney added: "Totally, the answer is yes. We have plans, features and dreams [of our own], and we hope to make it go to the 11th degree, so that people can celebrate their creations completely."

Check the link for more.

 

[01011001]

they really try to keep this thing relevant don't they?

my bet is a complete server shutdown in early 2021
I really don't see any viable audience for Dreams.

casual users will get bored by it within weeks because there's hardly anything worth looking at.

more hardcore users will get frustrated by how bad the performance is and how limited it is compared to any proper game engine.

and double that point above for any pro who actually plans to make a proper game on this.

 

[Afro Republican]

They hyped it up so much soo early, no ones taking the bait anymore.

 

[Birdo]

Most of the Dreams games are based on other franchises (Fan recreations). So I doubt 90% would be able to be sold.

The ones that aren't fan recreations don't get any attention at all. Nobody cares.

 

[CuNi]

It's literally spark fiasco all over again, but everyone knew it better I guess.. This was supposed to be different.. Lol.

 

[ZywyPL]

An entire generation without a single title, MM are getting shut down once Dreams releases, don't they?

 

[-Arcadia-]

they really try to keep this thing relevant don't they?

my bet is a complete server shutdown in early 2021
I really don't see any viable audience for Dreams.

casual users will get bored by it within weeks because there's hardly anything worth looking at.

more hardcore users will get frustrated by how bad the performance is and how limited it is compared to any proper game engine.

and double that point above for any pro who actually plans to make a proper game on this.

I would love to be corrected, but this is my view of the project as well. Who is this for?

Perhaps it’s an easier step into game development for people in the middle? I could definitely see that being awesome.

 

[iorek21]

I thought this was already released

Everybody was talking about it how it was going to be a revolutionary hit and yadda yadda

Almost a year after all that hype and nothing that they showed convinced me that this will be as great as it is being sold

 

[yodine53]

The game isn't out yet but it's already a failure? I don't know if Dreams will be a commercial hit, but it's story mode, multiplayer and great reviews will push the sales for sure.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Amazing that the game hasn't released when it was one of the first games promoted.... way back when Sony did the PS4 reveal in Feb 2013.

Looks like at best, it'll be a PS5 launch title in 2020.

Not surprised at Sony hinting this game to be multiplatform. This kind of game is actually best suited to PC where people can use M/K to whiz around the screen doing custom creations.

There's only so much creativity people will do on a console, so that's why games like LBP die.

 

[yodine53]

Not surprised at Sony hinting this game to be multiplatform. This kind of game is actually best suited to PC where people can use M/K to whiz around the screen doing custom creations.

They are not hinting that Dreams will be multiplatform, they are saying that the games made in dreams could be exported to other devices in the future

 

[Vawn]

Cool. Because us PS4 players don't care about Dreams. Maybe we aren't the target audience?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

They are not hinting that Dreams will be multiplatform, they are saying that the games made in dreams could be exported to other devices in the future

Which is multiplatform.

 

[SlicedBread3]

Which is multiplatform.

The games, not the toolset.

 

[Harlock]

I feel tired just to imagine building something.

 

[Deleted member 740922]

No, no, no, you're all wrong! You just have to "catch up" with the one person on here who cares about this garbage

 

[Vawn]

If you aren't capable of making an actual game with real tool sets, don't think people will want to pay money for your little creation you put together playing Dreams.

 

[SlicedBread3]

Not sure how I'd feel about this. I'd worry it would hurt the community aspect if people were to put their creations behind pay walls. And the community part is what makes Dreams special.

I'd be tempted to release a free to play version with advertisements. And creators get a cut of the ad revenue they generate. Like YouTube.

 

[petran79]

It could come to PC too, which is the only way for the franchise and servers to keep running longterm

Media Molecule's Dreams could come to PC along with the games made in it, co-founder says

"The answer to every question is 'yes', but Dreams needs to reach a lot of people first," says Kareem Ettouney.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Enjay]

It's crazy how hype I used to be over this hntil it actually early released or whatever the term is. Is it still a huge pain in the ass to use a dualshock 4 on this?

 

[Psykodad]

It's crazy how hype I used to be over this hntil it actually early released or whatever the term is. Is it still a huge pain in the ass to use a dualshock 4 on this?

Depends. DS4 only sucks for sculpting, it's the best option for everything else.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Every cliche expressed. All ignorance shown.

 

[Deleted member 740922]

Every cliche expressed. All ignorance shown.

Is that the heading on your website?

 

[TheDreadBaron]

Okay GAF, if you'll allow me I'd like to briefly make my defense of Dreams.

It does seem like a lot of the outright dismissal of Dreams comes from people who haven't really given it a shot. I get it, it's another project spark weird console locked game/toolset/community, not a "real" tool etc. Well despite this it has been one of the greatest experiences I've personally had on PS4.

A couple of points for those interested.

-DS4 works just fine, but the move controllers are where it's at. It's kind of like VR hand presence but through the screen so depth is a little tricky (VR is coming?). Even so, sculpting works great as well as camera manipulation and placing objects. I feel like some minority report gestural interface wizard.

-The value of the game and the community isn't having access to a ton of high quality polished experiences, it's being able to peruse countless unique short form experiences and seeing how far people can take the tools. This won't be valuable to everyone, but as someone who loves creation for its own sake it's very special.

-The news that you may be able to take your creations out of Dreams in the future is great. Media Molecule has created something unlike anything I've ever seen. I barely experience any friction while creating, and you can't overestimate that factor. The usability and cutesy-ness belies the power of the tools. I think Dreams could have a role as a fast prototyping concept software alongside more robust "real" tools, and even better if you can export your work.

Any passers by, please give Dreams a chance. I'm sure glad I did, no regerts.

 

[EverydayBeast]

MM has the greatest creation tools ever in a video game.

 

[Videospel]

There is a risk that any game made with this gets "oh, it's cool that someone made this in Dreams". If someone wants to play around with it as their first foray into game creation, that's great. I used Klik & Play a lot when I was younger. But just as with that, I can't see the games holding up on their own. I could be wrong of course!

 

[Miles708]

they really try to keep this thing relevant don't they?

my bet is a complete server shutdown in early 2021
I really don't see any viable audience for Dreams.

casual users will get bored by it within weeks because there's hardly anything worth looking at.

more hardcore users will get frustrated by how bad the performance is and how limited it is compared to any proper game engine.

and double that point above for any pro who actually plans to make a proper game on this.

Doesn't Roblox have around 90 million users? Isn't it on the same vein of Dreams (fun tools to create create simple games)?
The interest is there for sure.
And of course they want to expand and export their engine everywhere.

Personally I could see myself using Dreams because I am:

• Totally technically inept
• Lazy with serious tools (seriously, who has time for Unreal)
• 100% lacking imagination and/or ideas
• but love tinkering with character editors, level editors, music programs, animation editors

Basically I don't want to learn anything and just have fun creating some awful content. Dreams seems perfect for me.

Cool. Because us PS4 players don't care about Dreams. Maybe we aren't the target audience?

It's your right to not care about something but please speak for yourself.

 

[Vawn]

It's your right to not care about something but please speak for yourself.

I don't care for Call of Duty. That's speaking for myself.

Hardly anyone cares for Dreams. That's just being observant.

 

[Miles708]

I don't care for Call of Duty. That's speaking for myself.

Hardly anyone cares for Dreams. That's just being observant.

Now this is a different way to put it, and I could almost agree. Even if, truth to be told, it's still in early access... and Early access games are non-interesting by default. Personally I can't wait the official release.

 

[GermanZepp]

Wow, a lot of hate.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Wow, a lot of hate.

It IS largely ignorance, and I use that word as it's intended and not as a derogatory term. I'm ignorant of many things myself and that's not a bad thing providing you listen to someone who isn't ignorant of the facts.

 

[Vawn]

It IS largely ignorance, and I use that word as it's intended and not as a derogatory term. I'm ignorant of many things myself and that's not a bad thing providing you listen to someone who isn't ignorant of the facts.

What's the difference between ignorant and delusional?

 

[synchronicity]

I do very much love the concept, and I hope it does well, but sometimes ambition has to be tempered in a nod to practicality.

 

[SidViscous]

Hey, come here and make games in our game!! Instead of using a free, well documented, fully-featured, cross-platform game development suite, because.. erm.. reasons!

Stuff like RPGMaker was amazing when it came out because professionals were having to code Super NES games in assembly, so there was a huge chasm between hobbyist and professional level game dev, but these days? it's barely even a crack.

I dont mean to be rude to Mm, but I've seen better creations in Roblox than Dreams so far.

 

[SlicedBread3]

I dont mean to be rude to Mm, but I've seen better creations in Roblox than Dreams so far.

I'd love to see some examples of these.

 

[Enjay]

Hey, come here and make games in our game!! Instead of using a free, well documented, fully-featured, cross-platform game development suite, because.. erm.. reasons!

Stuff like RPGMaker was amazing when it came out because professionals were having to code Super NES games in assembly, so there was a huge chasm between hobbyist and professional level game dev, but these days? it's barely even a crack.

I dont mean to be rude to Mm, but I've seen better creations in Roblox than Dreams so far.

People sleep on roblox but watching my son play has been some of the best 3D platforming I've seen this generation beleive it or not. Saw these really cool Mario odyssey and Cuphead stages.

Media Molecule had such grandiose plans for this game (paying creators, exporting games made in dreams to psn, etc) however they kind of skipped the whole releasing and selling it phase.

 

[mejin]

Like Minecraft. Makes sense.

 

[TyphoonStruggle]

Why do I keep hearing about this game. Has it even come out yet? WTF are they doing?

 

[SidViscous]

I'd love to see some examples of these.

The problem is they all look the same at first glance, but whenever I ask my kids what they are doing on there they always explain to me these really neat custom games that, well, kids have built themselves. I'm constantly impressed by some of the ideas they come up with, and wouldn't be surprised if some of the ideas don't eventually get picked up in the mainstream, similar to how Warcraft custom games spawned Dota and tower-defence back in the day.

This evening they were playing "Everest" which is a co-op climbing RPG of sorts, you have to climb a mountain, avoid avalanches, help each other get past obstacles, and use tents as dark soul style lanterns to upgrade abilities. It's also permadeath, and relies on quite a bit of skill in abusing the clipping system to get up to the top.

Another one was "Babysitter" or something similar where one player is a baby, and they have to kill themselves or escape the house, and the other players are all baby sitters who have to protect them.

Then you have your usual virtual job games, so fully functioning hotels with job roles, promotion systems, working hours etc.

All this created by 12-year olds using ES6 (think Javascript), yet here we are with AAA Dreams and it's just 1001 different recreations of P.T.

 

[Dee Dah Dave]

It’s like babies first game engine. Fine to dick around with and that’s it.

 

[Psykodad]

The problem is they all look the same at first glance...

This doesn't go for anything created in Dreams?

All this created by 12-year olds using ES6 (think Javascript), yet here we are with AAA Dreams and it's just 1001 different recreations of P.T.

You most definitely haven't played Dreams and/or are being hyperbolic af. Lol