Creators are loving the tools that Media Molecule brings to the table with Dreams, but there aren’t enough players in the ecosystem to keep everything running smoothly. Media Molecule has a long history of providing gamers with creative titles where clearing levels is only a small part of the overall experience. This began with the LittleBigPlanet series, which was all about creating platformer levels for various costumed Sackboys to conquer. Despite that conceit, the game was free enough that players ended up creating everything from space shooters to point and click adventures with the tools created. This was likely one of the reasons why the developer went so wild with the franchise’s spiritual successor.
Dreams was first announced at the 2013 unveiling of the PlayStation 4 and had a public unveiling of its own at E3 2015. It would take another five years before the full game was available for purchase on PlayStation 4, releasing the same year that the PlayStation 5 would hit store shelves. Over the years, the game would make small appearances at E3 and other Sony events, but it was never a big focus, even when it was finally ready for players to dive in. It seems that while creators were eager to try the latest batch of tools, regular players had plenty of other experiences to try out instead.
As highlighted in a recent investigative article on Kotaku, that’s the problem posited by the Dreams community in the now. Creators on both YouTube and Reddit have cited a flood of memes early on that may have discouraged players from digging further. In the now, creators who are dedicated to creating amazing works want some way to monetize what they’re creating. Media Molecule has a program in place, but it’s limited to accepting creators on a case by case basis when they reach out to the company. Most have simply gone to Patreon instead, but that’s not a sustainable avenue in the long run.
Part of the problem seems to be the barrier to entry. Dreams is a platform for games and other creations, but the dwindling audience isn’t there when compared to something like YouTube for videos. Dreams is not free to play, although there is a free trial and the price has dropped to as low as $20 at many retailers. It’s a bargain for someone who wants to get creating, but players have plenty of free options and full games they’ve heard of at that price point.
Much like Microsoft’s various attempts over the years to highlight creation at the smallest levels, Dreams really shouldn’t be a separate video game that players purchase. It should be something built into the dashboard of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, a collection of small games that anyone with the console can jump into between bigger sessions. Without that massive audience, Media Molecule’s latest has seemingly become a platform that only their most diehard followers are engaged in. That’s not the formula for a game that’s going to last the full lifespan of the PlayStation 5, but there’s still time to right the ship.
Dreams is available now for PlayStation 4.
