Media Molecule Co-Founder Reflects On LittleBigPlanet, Dreams, And His Exit - MinnMax Interview

Ойындар

MinnMax's Ben Hanson talks to Media Molecule's co-founder Mark Healey about his recent departure from the beloved PlayStation studio, the origins of LittleBigPlanet, his biggest regrets on Dreams, how he created the first indie game on Steam, and his current passion project about art history. Support long-form interviews like this by subscribing to MinnMax's KZread channel or unlock the podcast version of this interview and directly support independent games media by checking us out on Patreon. / minnmax
Check out the timestamps below to jump to a particular discussion...
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:42 - Mark Healey's life after Media Molecule
00:03:27 - Developing his passion project
00:09:01 - Why Mark isn't at Media Molecule anymore
00:11:59 - Dreams needed online multiplayer and PC support
00:13:59 - Media Molecule's future
00:16:13 - Embracing art history with his solo project
00:21:39 - Love for the Commodore 64
00:22:58 - Working at Bullfrog with Peter Molyneux
00:25:12 - “It’s true that I did go a bit mad”
00:31:01 - Avoiding crunch
00:33:28 - Rag Doll Kung Fu was the first indie game on Steam
00:35:40 - Valve and The Room's portal tech demo
00:43:27 - The origins of LittleBigPlanet
00:46:33 - Microsoft and LittleBigPlanet
00:49:03 - Thoughts on Sackboy: A Big Adventure
00:50:05 - LittleBigPlanet 3 servers going offline
00:53:00 - Free-to-play LittleBigPlanet Hub
00:54:00 - Dreams origins, wanting to call it LittleBigPlanet "3 or 4"
00:56:34 - Dreams' "Golden Ticket" of letting the community sell their creations
01:00:24 - Thoughts on Dreams in retrospect
01:03:05 - What Mark misses about Media Molecule
01:06:04 - Thoughts on the game industry
Follow us on Twitch - / minnmaxshow
Please support us on Patreon - / minnmax
Our solo stream channel - / @minnmaxstreamarchives
Buy MinnMax merch here - minnmax.com/merch
Follow us on Twitter - / minnmaxshow
Go behind the scenes on Instagram - / minnmaxshow

Пікірлер: 67

  • @minnmax
    @minnmax25 күн бұрын

    Support long-form interviews like this by subscribing to MinnMax's KZread channel or unlock the podcast version of this interview and directly support independent games media by checking us out on Patreon. www.patreon.com/minnmax

  • @virtual2180
    @virtual218025 күн бұрын

    Marcus, Alex, and Kareem are the reason I started my path down game development. They are the reason I first thought to myself “I can do this, I can make a game”. Alex with his brilliance, Kareem reminding me of freedom of expression, and Marc literally cheering on and encouraging this discovery that we all have the ability to create amazing things inside of us. Even though I’m just a random person on the internet, he liked all my creations I posted. Gave me kudos on things I worked hard on. As if he wasn’t already inspiring enough. Man single handedly pulled me out of imposter syndrome and lit the beacons of empowerment within me. Thank you for all you do, I know you’re just being you but thank you. I really can’t wait to see what you make.

  • @acrobaticgrapes

    @acrobaticgrapes

    16 күн бұрын

    Same here

  • @benexler
    @benexler25 күн бұрын

    I wish I lived in the universe where Dreams was a smash hit. There were so many amazing ideas that never got more than a few hundred plays.

  • @ashemocha

    @ashemocha

    17 күн бұрын

    the problem with dreams is that it was literally just advertised as a games creation platform, compared to littlebigplanet which was a game but with creative functionalities it's like if 343i released a new halo game, but it was just strictly a forge game. nobody would play it (to be honest nobody plays infinite but you get my stance) i hope a littlebigplanet 4 (or a real littlebigplanet hub) comes out soon with backfeatures implemented

  • @benexler

    @benexler

    15 күн бұрын

    @@ashemocha that’s basically what Roblox is but that’s a huge success. I think they didn’t know how to monetize Dreams. I think for it to be a success, it should have been free to play while charging $30 for access to the creation tools, and come pre-installed on the PS5. Think about it - you get a way bigger player base for these creations, and you’re supported by those who are creating. Hell, allow people to tip creators and Sony gets a cut.

  • @krookedvulture

    @krookedvulture

    15 күн бұрын

    ​@benexler I'll never understand how they failed to monetize Dreams correctly. Even now, people would pay for additional server space for bigger creations, but they do not even allow that. Dreams is an absolutely insanely brilliant peice of software that was simply abandoned. A criminal waste of potential imo.

  • @benexler

    @benexler

    15 күн бұрын

    @@krookedvulture such a waste. Sony spent 10 years investing in Mm/Dreams (after LBP 1&2 became so iconic for PS3) and to see what it is now is just such a shame. It feels like they didn’t even have one meeting to brainstorm how it could make them money. It sucks.

  • @ChickenTuesday
    @ChickenTuesday25 күн бұрын

    Little Big Planet is an all timer for me. This is awesome

  • @kashifriaz9216
    @kashifriaz921625 күн бұрын

    Half way through the interview, this went much, much deeper than I thought it would, really appreciate how open Mark was.

  • @jmi_music
    @jmi_music24 күн бұрын

    I love Mark's humour.. What do you miss... "lunch"... and the carpark space ... HAHA. He's so real.

  • @thedoctorchickenbob
    @thedoctorchickenbob23 күн бұрын

    Thank you so much for this!! LittleBigPlanet (and mediamolecule by extension) literally altered the course of my life - as a teenager I made so much online friends, fell in love w/ art and the act of making, and the whole ethos of play/create/share has been embedded into my very core. Will be forever grateful for that. thank you Ben and MinnMax! Keep up the fantastic work!

  • @Zories97
    @Zories9725 күн бұрын

    I love Little Big Planet. It has a special place in my heart as one of my favorite gaming IP’s of all time. I wish it would come back. I didn’t like LBP3 as much, but if they just remastered LBP2 or made something similar I’d be so happy!

  • @Dark-wb1be
    @Dark-wb1be25 күн бұрын

    After the GDC conference I was blown away by that Little Big Planet demo. After that I knew there were going to come to Barcelona to ArtFutura in 2007 to talk about it and present the game con a conference, had to buy a ticket. There was a demo of the game, which you could play. And there while I was playing Mark and Alex came over to see how I was playing. I talked to them a bit (what I could, I was very young and my English was pretty bad) and then I went to watch the lecture, I think Kareem was there too. It was great, they seemed genuinely excited about their game. I've been following Media Molecule ever since, I have great memories of that day even today. Great talk, thanks MinnMax! Glad to see Mark again doing well ;)

  • @xtoper21
    @xtoper2123 күн бұрын

    Media Molecule is s big portion of PlayStation's souls , we want to see it shine this generation.

  • @slippahmastah

    @slippahmastah

    22 күн бұрын

    With how LittleBigPlanet is treated, I have my doubts 😔

  • @apukdcfc
    @apukdcfc21 күн бұрын

    Thanks to Mystic for alerting me to this interview. As someone in their late 40s who grew up playing the 80s arcades and having a spectrum 48k I loved this. I've enjoyed Marks work over the years from playing Rag Doll Kung Fu on Steam and PS3 and Black & White on PC. For me LBP on PS3 was a game changer with the whole play create share mantra. The game is genius and needs a next gen remaster. I didn't really get into the creation side of Dreams, but appreciate how ambitious it was and absolutely loved playing TREN. It's a shame it never came to PC or PSVR2. Can't wait to see what MM and Mark are cooking up.

  • @steel.oneill
    @steel.oneill24 күн бұрын

    Dreams will always mean so much to so many of us, thank you ❤

  • @musash777
    @musash77720 күн бұрын

    this interview is just brilliant

  • @CHROME-COLOSSUS
    @CHROME-COLOSSUS25 күн бұрын

    Fascinating interview - *thank you* for doing this! It confirmed many of my impressions about WTF happened with DREAMS, but left quite a few things… unaddressed. I hope you’re able to interview more people to better connect some of the dots that continue to float around. I would also love to hear more of your own assessments and guesses, but as you are diplomatic I suspect that would only happen outside of KZread. More please, but again thank you!

  • @roejieks
    @roejieks14 күн бұрын

    What an amazing interview. Thank you so much for setting this up and putting it out there. And thank you Mark (also the rest of the MM team) for influencing and changing the lives of so many people.

  • @CosmicTavern
    @CosmicTavern25 күн бұрын

    Dreams is one of the best games ever made. It's insane what they were able to achieve. I hope the PC release comes out someday.

  • @jorelc6
    @jorelc625 күн бұрын

    OMG another interview from Ben Hanson? The *best* interviewer in the industry? The Jeff Keeley of game interviews? so good

  • @TamagoMusubi
    @TamagoMusubi24 күн бұрын

    This interview went places I was not expecting and enjoyed every minute of it. Mahalo nui loa. (Thank you very much)

  • @rotschimmel
    @rotschimmel23 күн бұрын

    With Dreams I created a fan remake of Metal Gear Solid. Didn't make it playable for obvious reasons...but it was a Dream I had and I managed to do it. Learned how to 3d sculpt...and recreating that world which I loved from scratch, building the legendary Metal Gear Rex, reproducing all the details that the great artists like Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa created, was a big accomplishment for me. These guys gave me the tools to do it through Dreams...and I was starting to dream to start creating a game. Who knows what could have happened if Dreams had a PC port and actual game/asset export or a monetization outcome? The Dreams community deserves that! I will never forget these past 4 years, as an artist Dreams gave me a sense of big fullfillment. See You in Outer Heaven, Legendary Dreamers

  • @Genyuro
    @Genyuro25 күн бұрын

    He sounds so sad D; , great interview als allways Ben

  • @Zeouterlimits
    @Zeouterlimits23 күн бұрын

    This was lovely, thanks Ben (& Mark!)

  • @ToiletGrenade
    @ToiletGrenade20 күн бұрын

    Thank you for creating my favourite game of all time, Mark. My childhood wouldn't have been the same without LBP.

  • @beng6149
    @beng614924 күн бұрын

    Always loved MM. LBP was a system seller for me. Lots of memories playing those with my sister back in the day. Dreams was incredible. Shame what happened to the LBP servers and I hope nothing like that happens to Dreams.

  • @acrobaticgrapes
    @acrobaticgrapes16 күн бұрын

    Dreams is a game I want to make like that after my computer science

  • @k.g.5096
    @k.g.509624 күн бұрын

    I love how honest and open Mark is this is a great interview. I’ve loved Littlebigplanet since 2009. Can’t wait for the future of Sackboy. ❤

  • @niviartist7175
    @niviartist717524 күн бұрын

    Great interview. Dreams is the best thing on psn.

  • @backlogbusters
    @backlogbusters25 күн бұрын

    Couldn’t click on this fast enough! Dreams is still such an impressive playable game engine with so many cool community creations, so sad Sony wouldn’t keep it going.. Thanks for another great interview Ben!

  • @willdall4
    @willdall424 күн бұрын

    What an incredible interview

  • @minnmax

    @minnmax

    24 күн бұрын

    Thanks, any help sharing the interview is appreciated.

  • @Elca_Gaming
    @Elca_Gaming25 күн бұрын

    What an awesome interview, love Mark! (Also I neither confirm nor deny anything said in this^^)

  • @illteteka
    @illteteka24 күн бұрын

    amazing interview!! that microsoft story is WILD

  • @MitchReecherMusic
    @MitchReecherMusic25 күн бұрын

    Great interview! As long as we're getting interviews like this, I'm happy to be a patron

  • @minnmax

    @minnmax

    25 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much, any help spreading the word is appreciated.

  • @RudeCanine
    @RudeCanine25 күн бұрын

    KZread autoplay coming in clutch for once!

  • @rinaldus4512
    @rinaldus451224 күн бұрын

    Another fucking great interview from a huge gaming luminary. Thanks MinnMax!

  • @minnmax

    @minnmax

    24 күн бұрын

    Our pleasure, tell a friend!

  • @rinaldus4512

    @rinaldus4512

    11 күн бұрын

    @@minnmax I did and they loved it!

  • @ModestPavement
    @ModestPavement25 күн бұрын

    Ben putting his therapist hat on for a bit lol. Great interview! Really interesting guy.

  • @SnacksMpls
    @SnacksMpls23 күн бұрын

    So sad Dreams didn’t take, it is f ing incredible

  • @flexcat
    @flexcat25 күн бұрын

    Great interview once again! But disappointed that you didn't ask him questions about Stephen Fry. His narration was just so sublime and fitting.

  • @Soul.Continuum
    @Soul.Continuum17 күн бұрын

    What a wonderful man. It’s really a shame LBP went down with media molecule and has set the definitions for what the game is instead of the massive online community that brought so many people together

  • @SnacksMpls
    @SnacksMpls23 күн бұрын

    This is gutting 😢 man I wish Dreams could get a second chance.

  • @jackk4148
    @jackk414825 күн бұрын

    what happened to tearaway? Didn't media molecule made tearaway after LBP2?

  • @jumponeverything

    @jumponeverything

    25 күн бұрын

    I think tearaway was developed on the side when they were making dreams and mark Healy didn't have significant involvement

  • @jackk4148

    @jackk4148

    25 күн бұрын

    @@jumponeverything Ok, that makes sense. Cheers!

  • @rihasanatrofolo2472
    @rihasanatrofolo247224 күн бұрын

    How did you land this interview?

  • @minnmax

    @minnmax

    24 күн бұрын

    We've been reaching out and trying to line up a time for a while now.

  • @rihasanatrofolo2472

    @rihasanatrofolo2472

    24 күн бұрын

    @@minnmax Nice, great stuff. Would you be able to make one with Alex too? He was one of the main drivers for the down-to-earth art style. He too has left Mm after Dreams ended support. Alex is just as legendary as Mark, and I'd love to also get his perspective on the LBP journey. Cheers!

  • @oledevo
    @oledevo25 күн бұрын

    Dreams - with - camera and move support .... should've been on PC.

  • @nerd5
    @nerd524 күн бұрын

    Really hope the verbage of "New IP" is used to keep the surprise of a new LittleBigPlanet entry. While Sony may still have faith in them, I fear for the studio's future if they don't make something big

  • @littlebigcomrade
    @littlebigcomrade7 күн бұрын

    54:40 What Healey is essentially saying here is that creative games need a strong identity to succeed, whilst creators keep the game alive. Dreams failed because it lacked a strong identity.

  • @musash777
    @musash77720 күн бұрын

    WHAT DO YOU MEAN DREAMS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LITTLE BIG PLANET

  • @JonnyBriers
    @JonnyBriers24 күн бұрын

    Great interview from the best in the biz

  • @UNDY91
    @UNDY9122 күн бұрын

    I hope his secret freelance work is a successor to B&W... hasn't been a game like it since :(

  • @RudeCanine
    @RudeCanine25 күн бұрын

    While Mark did a bit of waffling, it was some of the most enjoyable waffling I’ve listened to in a long while. Thank you Hanson for sharing this and doing it. ❤

  • @Ayee
    @Ayee22 күн бұрын

    😶

  • @jacdreams3861
    @jacdreams386123 күн бұрын

    Amazing interview! Sony really screwed-up with Dreams. It could have been a gold mine. Sony cheated Playstation gamers, PSVR2 gamers, pc gamers...really they cheated the entire gaming world of all the games that could've been made and sold from Dreams, and all the devs it would have created

  • @goodtaste2185
    @goodtaste218516 күн бұрын

    God of War, Horizon, Death Stranding, Tsushima, Last of Us...but not Dreams???

  • @mbillard
    @mbillard25 күн бұрын

    5:35 someone paid a $100 for this stupid gif of Reggie, just a tad bit distracting haha

  • @Jagerbomber
    @Jagerbomber25 күн бұрын

    Sackboy in Death Stranding 2?

Келесі