Media Molecule Blog

Media Molecule Podcast 23 - Lucid Podcasting

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:09 GMT

We’re nearly through May now, but with all this wet weather we’re experiencing in Guildford, it hardly seems believable that Summer is right around the corner. That’s why, for this week’s podcast, we’ve brought on returning guest John B, because his surname sounds like beach, and we like beaches. What’s that? His name is spelled ‘Beech’ not ‘Beach’? Never mind, I’m sure you’ll still enjoy all the fabulous stories he has to share about his award winning miniature painting skills and newly purchased POWER KITE regardless of the lack of beaches. It’s a very exciting episode, and Alice and Spaff listen on in amazement as Kenny and John recount their perhaps slightly worrying tales of night terrors and lucid dreams!

Also, if you’re an amazing UI Designer who would love to become a molecule, be sure to check the links section below for more information.

We need a UI Designer!

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:05 GMT

This is a senior role, working across different projects on different platforms you will be responsible for promoting a human centred design approach throughout all aspects of Media Molecule’s prodigious output. Although primarily focussed on game Ui expect to get involved in all aspects of the creative process from pitching through to tools development and games design.

As a passionate but pragmatic advocate of all things Ux you will be able to suggest and deliver solutions that will make our games better. This will involve being thoughtful, flexible and able to collaborate in a small, tightly knit and ambitious team. You are an engaging talker, designer and presenter who will be able to nurture the fleck of an idea, getting buy in from your peers and then developing it into something that might just revolutionise the world of games.

Media Molecule Podcast 22 - May the 4th

Fri, 04 May 2012 17:47 GMT

Not such a long time ago, in Kenny’s sound room which isn’t very far away, ~~STAR WARS~~ PODCAST. If you haven’t spotted that thinly veiled reference there, today is International Star Wars day, and so this week’s podcast begins with some Jedi related chatter, before we drift off into the usual nonsensical madness.

Learn of Kenny’s mission to indoctrinate his wife into the ways of Star Wars, Spaff’s love of auto-machine translated edition of Star Wars: Backstroke of the West, why Alice can’t stop watching crazy prancing violin girl, and welcome podcast newcomer Tom Dallaway to the fray! Plus Steven is back to give us an LBP news update, anchoring the podcast back to sanity once more.

Oh yes, I think we are obliged to say the following important thing: May the Fourth be with you.
Yes we did just say that, you have permission to slap us. You can slap us by email if you like: podcast@mediamolecule.com

Note: iTunes will be up soon :) Please bear with us!

Do Not Want
Star Wars Uncut
Otamatone
Crazy Violin Girl
Plink
Russell Crowe in Neighbours
Cinco de Mayo

Media Molecule Podcast 21 - Making Headlines

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:52 GMT

We’re off to a rambling start in this week’s podcast, with questions about what exactly it is that Jagermeister’s made of, and how it is that Scrooge McDuck ever managed to successfully swim in his pool of gold coins. But thankfully, for your sanity’s sake (and ours), Kenny, Tom, Spaff, and Alice pull it together and dive into matters of utmost importance: various Scottish confectionery! The topic of the week takes us by surprise, as Tom reveals his childhood brush with fame, having appeared in a newspaper article about potential electrocution. Have you also ever made headlines? Send us your story to podcast AT mediamolecule.com!

Also, please welcome LittleBigPlanet’s new Community Co-ordinator, Steven Isbell, for his first-time Mm podcast appearance! We wheel Steven in to go over the LBP news this week, which includes Update 1.12!

Links Wot Wot:

Chris and John are making a robot

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:47 GMT

Two molecules have embarked upon a grand scheme to build themselves a robot. What kind of robot though? A pinacle of human achievement to rival ASIMO? A destructive boxy looking war-bot capable of taking down Sir Killalot? A weaponised bot left with the compassion of a human after a lightning strike?

Well, according to Chris, the Mm Bot will be an studio ‘pet’ with the capability to detect faces, and share it’s own emotions through coloured light strips. It will scoot around the studio on wheels, seeking out people to be friends with, running away from people who scare it, and generally being cute. Here’s what it looks like at the moment:

Expect more updates on the bot soon! We <3 Mm Bot!

Media Molecule Podcast 20 - Easter Special

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:08 GMT

And we’re back with your second Media Molecule podcast for the week! Isn’t that exciting? It is Easter weekend after all, and as we’ve missed you listeners so much, Kenny, Spaff, and Alice hop back into the sound cave mere days after the last recording. What is it like to see Obama punch a journalist in Mass Effect 3? How awesome is it that Alice has her white robe in Journey? And how dazzled are your ears by Kenny’s use of ‘ting’? You can find out by simply listen-ting!

Last, but not least, this week’s episode sees the second GDC special segment, an audio focussed discussion between Kenny and shiny special guests, Austin Wintory (Journey composer) and Brian Min (Double Fine Production’s Audio Director). We hope you enjoy it!

Shiny Guest Contact Info:

Media Molecule Podcast 19 - Kickstarting The Spring!

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:47 GMT

The birds are chirping, the sun’s been shining a bit, the flowers are starting to bloom, and our clocks have gone forward—all signs that spring has sprung! And with it, a shiny new podcast!
It’s been a while, and we’re down a Tom this week, but Kenny, Spaff, and Alice went into the sound cave to quickly catch up on where it is we’ve been this whole time, including tons of fun stuff that’s been happening in the Little Big Planet world!

But that’s not all! This podcast sees the first of two special segments we recorded in our adventures a few weeks ago during the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. We hope you enjoy our two very special guests, Greg Rice from Double Fine Productions and Chris Remo from the Idle Thumbs Podcast. They speak with us about their amazing success on Kickstarter (very exciting and impressive) and then we dive into some wonderful indie games chatter.

As fate would have it, and as you may have noticed as it is now the 2nd of April and no longer a Friday, we did not manage to get the podcast up last week. So, it looks as though we’re the April Fools after all! See you soon :)

Fantastic Linktastic!

Idle Thumbs Podcast Kickstarter
Chris Remo, Idle Thumbs Podcast: @chrisremo
www.idlethumbs.net
Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter
Greg Rice, Double Fine Productions: @gregricey
www.doublefine.com

LittleBigPlanet Stuff

Sackies 2011 Winners
Little Big Planet Karting announcement
Don’t forget to get your Sackboy Hessian Fragrances, as it’s only available until April 3/4!
LittleBigPlanet presents Journey Wallpaper!

Games we talked of:

Joust
QWOP
GIRP and Mega Girp
Blendo games‘s Atom Zombie Smasher
Stacking

Welcoming LittleBigPlanet Karting and United Front Games into the Family!

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:06 GMT

We’d like to introduce you all to a new member of the LittleBigPlanet family, United Front Games and the new project they’re leading on, LittleBigPlanet Karting!

The PlayStation Blog has a full announce article up, with some messages from us, and from the fab team at UFG, and a wizzy launch trailer too, ooh shiny.

It has really been a joy to collaborate with all of the folks at Mm. Since the project’s inception, they have been great partners in getting to where we are today. Looking ahead, we can’t wait for all of the LBP fans out there to get their hands on LittleBigPlanet Karting. The LBP community is unparalleled in the gaming world for the passion and creativity they bring and it’s going to be very exciting to see where they’re able to take this new journey for Sackboy.

Our goal with LBP Karting has been fairly simple – provide a fast-paced experience that captures the best of classic Karting gameplay, married with the unbridled creativity of LBP. This new adventure will be accessible to players of all ages and have all of the variety necessary to satisfy both the hardcore and more casual players.

Head on over to the PlayStation Blog to hear more about the project, and watch the snazzy video!

We won two BAFTA 2012 awards!

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:06 GMT

Break out the bubbly and dance on the tables! At least that’s what we’re doing this week after LittleBigPlanet 2 picked up two awards at this years BAFTA Video Game Awards Ceremony.

A small gang of molecules poshed themselves up in frocks and bow ties last Friday to attend this year’s ceremony, where we were nominated for a whopping six awards. We picked up two of those, one for Family game of the Year, the other for Innovation in games, and we’re very proud of them indeed! Here they are looking all spangly…

Watch Mark, Dave and our Sony Producer Pete pick up the awards, and listen to their obviously very well prepared and historically important acceptance speeches in these fine BAFTA videos.

Family Game of the Year 2012

Game Innovation 2012

It only seems right to finish this blog post with another acceptance speech, or rather an extended thank you to you guys, a terrific community who have made LittleBigPlanet the amazing game it is. We’re fairly sure that in coming years it will be some of you folks picking up awards like this for your own creations, but for now thank you sooo, so much for helping to fill our game with wondrous creations, and fun people to play them with!

Whilst we’re doing speechy type things, we’d also like to offer a very big congratulations to all our friends and peers who were nominated or won awards this year: Good job games people! <3

Media Molecule Podcast 18 - C’est La Vita

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:14 GMT

Do you smell that? Take a whiff—it’s the tantalising aroma of a new gaming device. The PlayStation Vita launched this week in the US and EU, and Kenny, Tom, and Alice are feeling the electronic device envy as folks around Mm towers start to unpack their very own shiny new handhelds. Spaff recounts tales of a recent LBP Vita game jam that took place at Tarsier Studios in Sweden. And, exciting news—the Sackies have reached the final phase! All you fine folks can now go and vote for your favourite finalists on LBP.me!

A lot of traveling is on the horizon for us podcasters though, with Game Developers Conference around the corner, followed by SXSW, so we quickly wrap things up with some fine (quality not confirmed) jokes!

Have you bought or plan to buy a PlayStation Vita? Let us know what games you’re looking forward to, or send us some jokes (maybe good ones!) to podcast AT mediamolecule.com

What was that thing you talked about during the podcast?

The Sackies Finalists - Vote now!
Chewbacca Door
Follow us on Twitter: @mediamolecule
Kenny’s site is GameSound.org