14 DAY TRIAL // Jim Ryan, the leader of the European division of Sony Computer Entertainment, says that fan favorite studio Media Molecule has complete freedom when it comes to their secret PlayStation 4 project and can create whatever experience they believe best suits the console.
In an interview with CVG the executive states, “They get a lot of licence and I think if you're going to work with a studio like that, trying to constrain them to go down a particular path is probably a pretty unwise thing to do. And having people whose minds work in unusual and very creative ways is particularly exciting at the start of a platform.”
Media Molecule is still rightfully praised for the way they managed to push the PlayStation 3 to the limit with Little Big Planet while at the same time introducing a range of interesting gameplay ideas and plenty of sharing options for the community.
Ryan says that working with developers like Media Molecule and Shuhei Yoshida on the actual development process of the PS4 has given Sony information on how to make it easy to develop for the device and to make it successful in the long term.
The big announcement about Media Molecule and the PlayStation 4 is that the company is moving their Tearaway title from the Vita to the home console, introducing a range of enhancements and more story elements for players to enjoy.
Ryan adds, “I think there's a lot of affection towards the game from people who've played it on Vita and the thought of being able to bring something that special to such a massively wider audience is great, and I think some of the stuff they're doing with the controller, such as the stuff on the touchpad, is really cool and fun.”
The secret project that Media Molecule is working on is still in the prototype stages, and an official unveiling will probably take place during the next installment of E3, in 2015.
The PlayStation 4 has been performing very well since it was introduced in late 2013 and is over the 10 million mark worldwide.
Sony has said that it will rely on both AAA exclusives and on a number of indie launches to sustain momentum for the rest of the year and plans to deliver a major firmware update for the device in the fall, which will add support for more media types and other improvements.