PlayStation’s creative game-making toybox Dreams apparently almost made it to PC, but now it’s dead
PC port with ray tracing support said to be cancelled alongside layoffs at developers Media Molecule last year
A PC version of Dreams, the PlayStation 4-exclusive toybox-slash-game creation platform from LittleBigPlanet makers Media Molecule, was nearly completed before being cancelled late last year, according to a new report.
After a period in early access, Dreams launched for the PlayStation 4 in early 2020 as a more ambitious successor to the user-made tools in the LittleBigPlanet games. The game was effectively a beginner-friendly game development tool, allowing players to create objects and program them to create self-contained games and other interactive experiences playable through various community playlists and discovery tools - something that arguably would've been right at home on PC.
Last April, Media Molecule announced they were ending live support for Dreams on September 1st 2023 in order to move onto a new project within the studio - adding that the project wouldn’t be Dreams 2. Players can still create, play and share their creations, but no more updates or events will be added to the game.
While its PS4 release meant it was backwards-compatible on console, Dreams was never brought to PlayStation 5. However, during a recent livestream, industry insider Lance McDonald has now claimed that both a PS5 port and a PC version of Dreams had been in development and were almost finished before being cancelled last year. (Thanks, Eurogamer.)
Citing an anonymous tester working on the game, McDonald said that the PC port would have been an enhanced re-release with additional features including support for ray tracing visuals, along with switching controls to keyboard and mouse from its original use of the PlayStation DualShock 4 controller and the PlayStation Move motion controller. Alas, it just wasn't to be.
Dreams’ PC cancellation came as part of wide layoffs at Media Molecule in October, which resulted in up to 20 percent of the studio’s staff - equivalent to around 20 people - being let go. At the time, the studio attributed the decision to “significant strategic changes”, including the shift from Dreams onto their untitled new project, which is yet to be revealed.