Media Molecule co-founder Alex Evans steps down
Dreams' technical director is taking a break from game development, he announced on Twitter
Media Molecule co-founder Alex Evans has announced his departure from the Sony studio.
After 13 years at the LittleBigPlanet and Dreams developer, the technical director said on Twitter that he wanted to take a break from game development, and explore other opportunities.
"A few months ago I did a bit of lockdown-inspired soul searching and decided to step down from 'Dreams dev' to 'Dreams fan' -- take a break from gamedev, a career I've been lucky enough to enjoy since I was a spotty 15-year-old," his tweets read.
"[Media Molecule] is a wonderful place, I can't imagine making games anywhere else; but I wondered what else an old fart like me could do in this world? I've been in the gamedev bubble so long I'm not yet sure what's next, or even out there, for someone like me."
He also reassured Dreams' fans about the title, with his departure seemingly having no impact on the current developments of the project.
"For anyone worrying about Dreams -- don't!," Evans continued. "What [Media Molecule] are doing on Dreams [at the moment] is gonna blow your minds and though I'll miss them all, I'll be cheering from the sidelines! Thanks to them for the first 13 wonderful years and here's to [Media Molecule's] next 13!"
The studio responded on Twitter, thanking Evans for his "leadership, friendship and everything [he's] given to Media Molecule." The team added: "We'll continue to be as weird and wonderful as you've always wanted, and there's forever a space on our stream sofa for you."
Evans started his career in the industry at Bullfrog, before working at Lionhead for six years as head of R&D. He co-founded Media Molecule with art director Kareem Ettouney, creative director Mark Healey, and technical director David Smith in 2006. Sony acquired the studio in 2010.
The developer's latest project, Dreams, launched in Early Access in early 2019, with ambitions of turning everyone into a game developer and giving users full commercial ownership of their creations. The studio's incredible achievement with Dreams got them a place in our People of Year 2019 list.
Dreams fully launched in February this year, to critical acclaim, and the studio is now evaluating how it might allow players to use their in-game creations in commercial projects.