Sacred Symbols, Episode 57: Dreamstate (Patreon)

Sony-owned Media Molecule is hiring for a most unusual task: The studio is seeking small dev teams to create experiences inside the Early Access version of its PS4 exclusive Dreams. And they're willing to pay. The question, of course, is what that says about the state of Sony's absurdly long-in-development sandbox, and if we're now officially entering Insane Territory. Is there something here we simply cannot see? We discuss. Plus: PS4's next firmware update is officially in beta, Dying Light 2 is crossing generations, Remedy's Control has gone gold, and Ready at Dawn's recent office move suggests some interesting behind-the-scenes happenings. And yes... yes! Of course we let you, the listener, in on the action, with inquiries about the popularity of Mario Maker 2 (and how Sony can replicate its success), Tokyo RPG Factory's quiet existence, the possible physical size of the PlayStation 5, and the likelihood of Red Dead Redemption 2 single player DLC. So wake up, sit up straight, and listen up closely. You can sleep once we're done.

Timestamps:

0:00:17 - Intro.
0:02:45 - Reminders about Sacred Symbols at PAX West and Sacred Symbols+!
0:05:18 - What’s Ready at Dawn up to?
0:07:28 - A word on the recent Naughty Dog 'employee abuse' article.
0:10:12 - Do crabs think fish are flying?
0:13:37 - Will we follow-up our devastating Titanfall 2 Let’s Play?
0:16:22 - Why are people upset about the casino in GTA Online?
0:19:30 - Trophies that have changed over time (following-up on last week).
0:22:36 - What games are we playing?
0:42:14 - PlayStation 4’s 7.0 firmware enters beta, is coming soon.
0:45:55 - Media Molecule is hiring dev teams to make games within Dreams.
0:53:26 - Dying Light 2 will be a cross-generation title.
0:55:43 - Control has gone gold.
0:58:14 - A new Vita firmware is available.
1:03:09 - Capcom and SEGA file some new trademarks for unannounced games.
1:06:10 - FIFA 20’s cover athletes have been revealed.
1:07:19 - Defiant Development is shutting down.
1:09:14 - BigBen Interactive has acquired French studio Spiders.
1:11:07 - Minor game announcements and release date information.
1:13:27 - This week's new releases for PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR.
1:20:02 - How big will PlayStation 5 be physically?
1:23:12 - Will Sony reboot LittleBigPlanet after the success of Mario Maker?
1:24:19 - Is it possible that The Avengers' character models are just bad, period?
1:30:18 - Are there too many survival and building games?
1:34:33 - How do we feel about games becoming more grindy?
1:37:49 - Is Square Enix's Tokyo RPG Factory a blueprint for small teams at big publishers?
1:41:36 - How would we redesign the PS4 UI?
1:43:42 - Will we get an Undead Nightmare 2-like expansion for Red Dead Redemption 2?