Players might finally be able to profit off of their creations made in Media Molecule's PlayStation 4 exclusive, Dreams. The game, first teased back in 2013 during the announcement of the PlayStation 4, was finally released on Valentine's Day 2020 after nearly ten months in Early Access. Dreams is a sandbox creation system that allows players to make individual assets, songs, movies, or even games and then share their creations with other players for entertainment and collaboration.
Dreams features a campaign consisting of levels entirely made within its creation system. Still, the main pull of the game is its community creations, as was the case with the LittleBigPlanet series, also developed by Media Molecule. Creations include re-creations of popular games like Fallout 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2 (the latter a parody of its online connection issues while the former is a fantastic re-creation of its opening level). There's even been a horror game based on Seinfeld, the classic sitcom. Players also created original songs and works of art, which led to some questions about copyright and ownership with this new creation method.
Via a post from the official Dreams Documentation website, docs.indreams.me, some of those questions have been answered. "You own the IP for the original creations that you make in Dreams," reads the post. It goes on to clarify that "you can use your original creation, for example, in your artwork or music portfolio, in a collage, or a design on your T-shirt - in other words, for your own personal use." Media Molecule also notes, they are launching a beta evaluation for those interested in using Dreams to create professional concept art or music videos. However, this is limited to players in good standing, with published creations that can be reviewed by Media Molecule.
Media Molecule has a history of acknowledging the talent of their most prominent creators. They hired players based off of levels created for LittleBigPlanet, a tradition they repeated almost instantly for Dreams. Just as Dreams takes the creation tools of LBP to a new level, so do the opportunities for its players. Those who took part in the Early Access period were rewarded by being able to play the full release first.
Creating something unique in Dreams, be it a spin on a legendary horror game or a breathtaking virtual painting, takes a lot of time and effort. There was a sense of unease among some in the community over compensation and rights, as players worried Media Molecule could profit off of their creations. Thankfully, this post seems to clear the air. Users are free to make a profit off their creations and have Media Molecule's blessing to do so. With players now confident they won't be taken advantage of, look out for even more incredible creations from Dreams in the near future.
Source: docs.indreams.me