As is customary at this time of year, a squadron of highly trained Molecules has been sent forth from the safety of Mm Towers in the UK, to the familiar walls of the LA Convention Center where E3 is held each year.

Yes, the Molecules are in town for E3, and we’ve brought Tearaway with us so we can show it to as many people as we possibly can.

With a bit of luck, and some big smiles, those people will go on to share their experiences with the rest of the world, so you should see some previews across the internet over the next few days. We were also lucky to be included in this year’s press conference, so look out for Rex playing Tearaway – he’s been practicing all week, bless.

If you can’t wait that long and need a Tearaway pick-me-up right this very second, then stay put, ready your eyes and ears, and prepare for your mouth to fall agape. We’ve got exactly what you need – a brand new trailer for Tearaway! See above.

Creative challenge contest time

Oh, you still want more? Very well then! As you know, the entire world of Tearaway can be crafted from paper in the real world, and as you travel through the game, you’ll collect plans to make some of the creatures and wildlife that you spot.

At the end of the trailer, you’ll spot one of our resident papercraft experts, Tom, making a Squirrel at warp speed. Whilst you might not yet have the ability to craft at such speed, you can click here to download the plan to make your own cool looking squirrel guy!

We are also running a contest over on the Media Molecule blog, where you can win some signed artwork from the Tearaway team. Follow this link to find out how to enter!

We took a bit of time off working our booties off to make some squirrels ourselves. Check them out; perhaps they’ll inspire you to customize your own.

We have to get back to E3 things now, but please send us your squirrels – we’re really looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

The Tearaway team are incredibly busy at the moment because E3 is right around the corner, so we’re spending every waking second preparing for that, and trying to make sure the game is in every way as special as it can be! I say every waking second, but to be honest there has been the occasional break for a slice of cake and a nice cup of tea. You can’t expect us to work with no cake breaks, that would be madness!

Most recently we’ve been working on the start of the game, where you’ll first begin your journey along with your new messenger friend. The first area that you’ll get to play with iota or atoi is called Valleyfold. It’s a green and pleasant land that draws its inspiration from the English Countryside, and the great wealth of folklore that surrounds it. You’ll wander through great standing stones and travel to a humongous apple orchard, to take place in the wassailing ritual that will help bring in the apple harvest. You’ll see more of Valleyfold over the coming weeks as we begin to show it off to the press, in the meantime though here are some screenshots to delight the eyes!

But wait! Just when you thought the blog post was over, we went and snuck in some exciting news – We’re delighted to announce details on the magnificent and exclusive bonus content you’ll get for pre-ordering your copy of Tearaway! Participating retailers will offer the following collection of treasures:

• Audiolicious Tearaway Soundtrack with bonus track
• Opulent iota and atoi costumes for LittleBigPlanet
• Exclusive skin for the in-game rideable pig*, and printable papercraft plan to match
• Splendiferous iota and atoi Avatars for use on PlayStation Network
• Resplendent PlayStation Vita Wallpaper

*Yes, you heard right, there’s an in-game rideable pig.

Tearaway will be available on shelves and on PSN October 22nd! We can’t wait for you to get your hands on, and indeed in, our new game at the end of the year.

In Tearaway you’ll journey through a vibrant, living papery world, with a plucky messenger who has a unique message to deliver – to you!

As the papery world of Tearaway unfolds in your hands, you’ll be able to use your god-like powers to help your new messenger friend, iota or atoi, complete their very special delivery.

You’ll uncover a magical dimension inspired by folklore, and built realistically from paper that unfolds and comes alive before your very eyes. As you explore this world you’ll meet the papercraft creatures that live within it, help out strange new friends and encounter dangerous challenges.

We’ve designed the world of Tearaway to blend with our own through the unique features of the PS Vita, which allow you to help your messenger buddy to solve puzzles using the power of touch, literally breathe new life into this papercraft land, and reach up into the world using the rear-touch panel to see your fingertips appear inside the game! We think this is an adventure unlike anything you’ve played before.

Here’s a little more backstory on how Tearaway came to be from our very own doodle-meister and lead designer, Rex Crowle.

Normally a game has just one piece of box art, but we have two main characters for you to choose from – iota and atoi. Who should go on the front of the box then? It was an impossible choice for us to make, so instead of making it, we made a reversible double sided inlay, so you can decide for yourself! See both versions at the top of this post.

We’ll be back with more Tearaway news soon!

It’s been a little while since we updated you on our progress making Tearaway, but that all changes today! We recently showed some new parts of the game to members of the gaming press, and their previews and coverage of that should start appearing today across the web. We introduced them to an area of the game we’ve been working on for quite some time, and today we’d like you to see it too!

Just one of the stops you’ll make as you go on your delivery adventure in the world of Tearaway is Sogport, a mysterious island marooned in a deep sea of glue, and inhabited by some very fishy folk with a fearful obsession with the island’s monstrous local wildlife. See for yourself…

Last August we introduced you to iota, and today we’re really excited to introduce atoi (pronounced like the French phrase a’toi – “ah-twa” )

When you start your adventure, you’ll be able to customize the game to your liking, choosing which messenger will accompany you on your journey, either iota or atoi, and also on the shape, size and color of your god-like fingers.

Look out for previews of Tearaway on the internets today, they should hold some more interesting surprises.

We’ll leave you with one more thing – a creative challenge! We’ve put together the plans for you to make your own Wendigo mask, and what’s more, we’re running a contest – say whaaaaaat? Check out this post on the Mm Blog for info on how to make your own mask, and enter the contest. Do it now!

If you were to visit the Media Molecule studio, you’d see that it’s very us. The pink carpets lead you through to a work space that’s filled with bright colours and interesting or curious things to look at. In a bid to keep our surroundings inspiring and as conducive to creativity as possible, we’re spoiled rotten with creature comforts and toys to play. To a visitor, all of this can make for quite a tour.

As a visitor though, you’d only get to see a brief glimpse of the studio – enough to take in the big picture, but not enough to truly get a feel for the place, and they say; the devil is in the detail. If you were able to spend more time here, you’d start to notice all the little things that are perhaps less immediately enticing as a ping pong table, but are far more interesting, and quite often, downright odd.

It’s the slightly weirder or out of place things that I think truly reflect the creative eccentricities of this merry band of game developers. See that mountain of paper? Have a bit of rummage and you’ll discover that it’s actually Rex’s desk, and its made from a treasure trove of doodles. Siobhan’s desk plays host to an exquisite collection of snow globes, and Alex’s cluttered mess could very well contain the secrets of the universe, if only it could be deciphered.

In an attempt to offer the world a more detailed glimpse inside the studio, I’ve put together a selection of some of my favourite oddities from around the place; purposeful art, random graffiti, endearing decoration, and things of unknown origin. Some can be found in plain sight, others might require looking a little closer, but all of them will give you a glimpse inside the head of the average Molecule, rather than simply the studio they work in.

Make of them what you will!

To set you all a little creative challenge, perfect for the holidays, we’ve given the Tearaway Papercraft Elk a little festive makeover! Once made, we think it makes for a rather unique Christmas ornament, take a look…

So grab your scissors and glue, and build yourself a Tearaway Reindeer using these papercraft plans, to add some Christmas sparkle to your home.

If you do happen to make one, please send a picture to our Twitter account – or post them in the comments below, so we can collect them all for a nice festive gallery.

Thank you all for your continued support of us and our games, and for the constant friendly smiles. It’s been a fairly quiet year from us this year, but next year you’ll be hearing a lot more from us, oh yes!

Merry Christmas,
Everyone at Media Molecule