Mark Healey, co-founder of Media Molecule, leaves studio after 17 years

Media Molecule Co-Founder Exits Following Dreams' Live Support Stoppage

"One of Media Molecule's founders, Mark Healey, has announced his departure from the studio. Sharing his news on social media, he says today will be his last day at the PS Studios developer.

"So, after [17] years of co-birthing and building Media Molecule, I have decided it is time for me to fly the nest [...] today is my last day at MM," Healey writes on Twitter. He goes on to say he's "proud to have played my part and lucky to have jammed with some truly brilliant people" during his time at the studio. It's not known precisely what he has planned next, though he does suggest he'll be staying in the industry.

A statement from studio director Siobhan Reddy has emerged on Media Molecule's Twitter page:

In it, Reddy describes Healey as "a creative driving force for the studio throughout the years" and says he has "strongly influenced Media Molecule in many brilliant ways". She thanks him "for everything", and promises the team will "always stay a bit weird".

Healey was one of four Lionhead Studios employees who broke off and formed Media Molecule, the others being David Smith, Alex Evans, and Kareem Ettouney — of whom the latter two have also left the studio in recent times.

This news comes shortly after the announcement that Media Molecule will soon be putting an end to its live service support for Dreams. Following 1st September, there will be no more updates to the game, but it will remain online to allow the community to continue playing, creating, and sharing. Planned updates between now and then include a made-in-Dreams game called Tren, a final patch to Create mode, and a big server migration."

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/04/media-molecule-co-founder-exits-following-dreams-live-support-stoppage

I blame Phony. lol :P

At least 3 co founders have left Media Molecule Including Technical Director & Art Director and now Game Director Plus other key devs.

Apparently he liked a tweet mentioning "welcome to Rare".

Funny thing is people like to reach. I have been at my job for 25 years now. If I leave, it's because I am moving south. Not because our corporation is falling apart or that my fellow colleagues suck to work with.

Sounds like a shake up at Media Molecule. This doesn't look good for them right now losing their leadership like that.

Guy was at the company for 17 years, not really a surprise that he wants to do something else.

Dreams is dead, should have ported it to PC or something.

@kvallyx: He could be going to Ubisoft to work on Skull and Bones lol

Sounds like he’s jumping a sinking ship! Oh my! 😱😅

It's shameful the incompetence shown by Sony towards Dreams. I'm pretty sure a PC port would turn it into a relevant player among amateur creatives.

Oh my 😬

That Jim Ryan account is fake/parody

Hopefully they go to work on Littlebigplanet 4 and bounce back from the low sales of Dreams.

Wise move, Sony bought to destroy that company.

Marcos liked the tweet from the fake Jim Ryan account is his point

I like MM. Hopefully they stay afloat.

Sounds like they are okay and even hinted at a new game in the tweet this morning.

Ya think?

Yeah that's a little strange, have we reached the point in society where figures in the entertainment industry are allowing troll accounts to make their announcements for them? I have to say it was either an accident or just a joke.

Clearly Sony is doomed, a shit place to work, all of their games are garbage, and they eat small children.

He's from Lionhead?

Hmmm, maybe he can make his own studio and give us what we really need: Black and White 3!!!

Bring back the god-game!

I still think it's weird so many know these names and worship these corporate goons.

I'm half-joking, I'm sure this fellow is a good guy (or not, I don't know) but identifying them as some key figure that the industry is somehow lesser for with their absence is getting kind of tiresome.

You mean Jim Ryan or Marcos Healey? Jim is well known for people who follow the politics of video games, Marcos would only really be known by fans of MM since he co-founded the studio and created Littlebigplanet.

When I said figures in the entertainment industry in reference to that I'm not talking like Taylor Swift level or other household names. Just saying it's weird someone who is publicly announcing their departure from a video game studio is not saying where they are going next but then likes a tweet from an obvious fake account that seems to provide the missing context.

The MS/ABK deal meaning PlayStations foreclosure is real.

Welcome to Xbox studios.

It's even worse than that my friend. There are already death threats in the twittersphere regarding gaming. I am pretty sure someone has actually acted on it too.

It's REAL bad.

@mysticaldonut: Neato!

Sony probably most definitely ask him to make movie games like they did the rest of their studios and he left.

I'm surprised MM is still open, thought Sony would've closed them by now... They don't make movie games after all.

The Initiative lost half its Staff & Leads, 343 lost most its Leads, as well as People from Coalition & Obsidian plus 10,000 layoffs on top of that, these Xboxpeeps are going mental over 2-3 people at Sony, They are Seriously Down Bad.