| LittleBigPlanet | |
|---|---|
 PAL box art showing "Sackpeople" characters and the game's sticker feature | |
| Developer | Media Molecule |
| Publisher | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Designers |
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| Composers |
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| Series | LittleBigPlanet |
| Platform | PlayStation 3 |
| Release | |
| Genres | Platform,sandbox |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
LittleBigPlanet is a 2008platform video game developed byMedia Molecule and published bySony Computer Entertainment for thePlayStation 3. It is the first installment in theLittleBigPlanet series. InLittleBigPlanet, the player controlsSackboy, a customizable ragged doll. The game is primarily centered around content creation, with examples including a level editor and the Popit, a menu used for accessing creation tools. Prior to 2021, the player could publish levels online and play others' published levels. The story mode consists of eight themed areas, in which Sackboy helps out various Creator Curators across LittleBigPlanet before fighting the Collector, who has been kidnapping and stealing creations.
Media Molecule was formed by four formerLionhead Studios employees after the release ofRag Doll Kung Fu in 2005. Wanting to create a video game centered around content creation, they pitched a prototype calledCraftworld toSony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios presidentPhil Harrison, who lauded the concept and agreed to fund the project.LittleBigPlanet was first announced by Harrison atGame Developers Conference 2007, followed by a marketing campaign, beta testing, and consumer and press anticipation. After brief delay to remove controversial lyrics from an in-game licensed song,LittleBigPlanet released worldwide between October and November 2008.
LittleBigPlanet was met with critical acclaim, with praise for its creative gameplay and community-driven aspects.LittleBigPlanet won severalGame of the Year awards and additional awards for its graphics, music, and gameplay innovation. Retrospectively, some publications have ranked it among thegreatest video games of all time. After dwindling sales in 2008,LittleBigPlanet became commercially successful, reaching 4.5 million copies.LittleBigPlanet was followed bytwo sequels and several spin-offs.
LittleBigPlanet is a physics-basedplatform game with an emphasis on content creation.[1] The player character isSackboy, a brown, customisable ragdoll.[2] Sackboy can run, jump, grab objects made out of certain material, shift between the three layers of the game's2.5D plane,[1] and access the Popit, a menu where the player can use customisation tools, stickers, and objects.[3] There are two game modes, each of which take the form of acelestial body: LittleBigPlanet, where the player can play levels, and MyMoon, where the player can create levels. Both modes can be accessed from a hub, taking the form of a cardboard ship known as the pod.[2]
The story mode ofLittleBigPlanet consists of eight themed areas, each with three or four main levels. Hidden keys unlock bonus levels for a grand total of fifty.[4] Although the story mode is in sequential order, each of the levels can be replayed. Each one is designed around the control scheme of Sackboy and the themes of its area. For example, the Metropolis levels involve navigating sewers and hopping on subways. Levels contain different prize bubbles, which contain items, including costumes, stickers, songs, and objects,[1][2] alongside score bubbles, which when collected in a chain, can multiply the score gained. Each level has checkpoints, where Sackboy can respawn if he dies. Each checkpoint has three or, in some cases, six available uses. If the last activated checkpoint runs out of uses, the level ends.[5][6] The player can play the game with up to three other players. Some puzzles for finding prize bubbles in story mode require more than one player.[2]
The Popit gives Sackboy access to various creative tools. During play mode, the Popit can only be used to access stickers and character customising. Stickers can be stamped on any object.[6] Throughout story mode, there are blank canvases that require a specific sticker to be placed on them to collect prize bubbles.[1] The player may customise Sackboy in a variety of ways: by selecting a base colour and texture of the Sackboy's skin, giving them accessories, or placing stickers.[2] At any point, the player can give Sackboy one of four emotions—happy, sad, scared, and angry—with an emotion capable of being given a degree of intensity.[2]
The main focus ofLittleBigPlanet is the level editor, which incorporates a large number of editing tools and objects, accessible from the Popit, to create levels from any degree of complexity. There is a collection of interactive tutorials required to use their respective tools.[7] To accommodate potential mistakes, the editor features a manipulable time system, whereby the player may "rewind", which acts as an undo feature, or pause the editor, which temporarily halts objects that are normally governed by the physics engine. The player may create new objects by starting with a basic shape of a material and "drawing" it into the level. Objects may be glued to each other or to the level floor. Mechanical tools are also available, such as a strings and bolts to connect objects, various triggers,[1] and attachable rocket motors to propel objects.[4] After creating custom objects, the player may save a creation to their library for later use; these objects can be shared by placing them inside a prize bubble in their level to be collected by other players.[1]
The player used to be able to publish their levels to the online community for other players, accessible from LittleBigPlanet. One option was "Cool Levels", which allowed the player to play levels at random. These levels could be played in both online and local multiplayer mode.[2][5] Once completed, the player could tag the level from a list of predefined words, allowing other players to quickly find their level of choice by searching a specific tag, and rate the level out of five stars.[1][8] However, since 13 September 2021, the online servers forLittleBigPlanet have been shut down.[9]
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LittleBigPlanet is set on the eponymous planet, with each area created by their focus character, known collectively as the Curator Creators.Sackboy explores eight of them, each with a theme based on locations around the world, incorporating their respective elements, including the United Kingdom, Africa, South America, Mexico, the United States, Japan, India, and Siberia.[3][5] The eight areas are the Gardens, the Savannah, the Weddings, the Canyons, the Metropolis, the Islands, the Temples, and the Wilderness; each Creator Curator being the King, Zola the Lion King, Frida, Uncle Jalapeño, Mags the Mechanic, Grandmaster Sensei, the Great Magician, and the Collector, respectively.[10]
After Sackboy explores the Gardens, learning various tools along the way, the King sends Sackboy to the Savannah for him to begin his adventure. In the Savannah, Sackboy accidentally destroys one of Zola's creations upon arrival, but Zola agrees to forgive Sackboy if Sackboy finds out what is troubling the bison; the cause is discovered to be crocodiles. The conflict is resolved when Sackboy proves King Croc's innocence in the disappearance of Meerkat Mum's son, Stripy Tail, after finding him at aVIP room in a club. In the Weddings, Sackboy reunites Frida with her groom Don Lu, who disappeared during theirwedding reception. In the Canyons, Sackboy rescues Don Lu's uncle Jalapeño from the corrupt Sheriff Zapata, who is afterward incinerated by his own bombs while trying to kill Sackboy. In the Metropolis, Sackboy retrieves Mags the Mechanic's car, which had been stolen by the martial artist Ze Dude, before winning a match against Ze Dude and his bouncers. In the Islands, Sackboy uses Grandmaster Sensei's flame-throwing cat to defeat the Terrible Oni.
In the Temples, the Goddess reveals to Sackboy that the Great Magician needs help to "bring sharing back to LittleBigPlanet."[11] According to the Great Magician, the Collector is stealing creations around LittleBigPlanet and "not sharing them around the world."[12] The Great Magician teleports Sackboy to the Wilderness to find the Collector. Sackboy breaches the Collector's base and starts freeing all the inhabitants of LittleBigPlanet from their cages, including the curator creators. Sackboy confronts the Collector, who attacks Sackboy with machines. After Sackboy destroys the machines, the Collector tries to escape through his pod, which breaks down. Defeated, the Collector admits that he became evil because he has no friends to share with. The King appears and addresses the player, calling for the player to be a part of theLittleBigPlanet community.
Mark Healey, Kareem Ettouney, Alex Evans, and Dave Smith worked atLionhead Studios and developed the3D platformerRag Doll Kung Fu (2005), the first third-party video game released onSteam.[13][14][15] After a cinema visit to seeHowl's Moving Castle, Healey and Smith discussed a game that had character controls similar toRag Doll Kung Fu that would be playable on a game console.[15] Afterward, the four left Lionhead Studios in December 2005 to develop the game,[15][14] formingMedia Molecule, previously known as Brainfluff.[16] At the time, they only had a vague idea of what game they wanted to create, with them generally wanting to create an ambitious console-friendly game that utilised user-generated content, appealed to a broad audience, and proved that a small company could develop a mainstream game.[17][18][19][20]
The same month,[15] Media Molecule pitched a prototype, a physics-based 2D side-scrolling game namedCraftworld,[17] toPhil Harrison, the president ofSony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, using their own software rather thanPowerPoint to allow for live, controllable movement of the game characters.[15] By their own admission, the pitch was vague. They intentionally toned down the creative aspect of the game for fear of negative reception of their pitch, instead presenting the prototype purely as a playable game and only briefly mentioning user creation. According to Evans, Harrison noticed and asked them why they had chosen not to explore this element further. The meeting, which had been scheduled to last 45 minutes, lasted three hours, ending with Sony agreeing to fund the project for six months.[16][21] Media Molecule became incorporated as a company in February 2006.[15]
After some further development, Sony asked the team to present their progress in what Healey described as a "Dragons' Den style scenario". Following this, Sony gave them a deal to developLittleBigPlanet for thePlayStation 3 in exchange for exclusivity and ownership of the intellectual property.[18][22] Despite backing from Sony, Media Molecule was concerned about the direction of the game and whether people would like it, though these were dispelled after the game's announcement atGame Developers Conference 2007 (GDC 2007). At the time, Media Molecule were aware of the fact that Sony wanted them to demonstrate the game at the upcoming convention, but they were unaware that they were to be part of Phil Harrison's keynote speech until near the date it was due to take place. Healey stated that it was only when they arrived in San Francisco for the conference that they realised the extent of Sony's dedication to the game, saying that although the revelation boosted their confidence, it also increased the pressure to meet expectations.[23]
Healey was the creative director, Ettouney was the art director, and Evans and Smith were the technical directors.[16][24]LittleBigPlanet was designed around its associated tagline: "Play, Create, Share".[25][26] Healey wantedLittleBigPlanet to bridge the gap betweencasual andhardcore gaming.[23] A particular goal was to make it so that players could create levels of higher quality than even the story levels.[21] Though the game was meant to be ambitious and to allow players to creatively express themselves, constraints were deliberately placed on the game to make the game more focused and fun, and to appeal to uncreative people.[23][27]
Prior to the creation of Sackboy, Smith designed Mr. Yellowhead to be the player character for theCraftworld prototype.[17][28] After the prototype was showcased to Harrison, the design of Mr. Yellowhead evolved, over time, into the modern form of Sackboy.[29] The reason Sackboy was created was to serve as the customisable avatar for the player. For this reason, Sackboy was not given a voice or a defined personality.[30] One of the goals of designing Sackboy was to make him appeal to a broad audience.[20] The zipper used on the modern design was initially going to be used to access Create Mode, though it was scrapped and eventually replaced with MyMoon.[29]
LittleBigPlanet was designed to be supported post-release, with Evans stating that Media Molecule would be supporting the community "massively".[27][31] Through the use of updates, Media Molecule made changes to the game after release.[32] The studio also has the ability to add content packs, new game modes, and new objects.[27] Although, there were no plans to add additional features through updates,[21] they did decide to use patches to add LittleBigStore and online access to Create mode, neither of which were available when the game was first released.[33][34] Originally, Harrison wanted to createLittleBigPlanet as a downloadable service that monetised user-generated content, but that was scrapped early on.[16][35]
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Kenneth Young,Daniel Pemberton, and Mat Clark were the composers forLittleBigPlanet. Young also served as the audio designer, while Matt Willis served as the audio programmer.[36]Stephen Fry was the narrator.[37] Young joined Media Molecule in 2007 following their presentation at GDC.[38] He did the majority of the sound work and composed a few of the songs, along with "directing the composers and the creative side of the music licensing process, producing the voice localisation from the Mm side of things, [and] being heavily involved in the design of the audio-centric UGC features of the game."[39] There were plans in 2006 to add a music sequencer for players to create their own music, but it was delayed until the development ofLittleBigPlanet 2.[38] Asoundtrack album titledLittleBigMusic was released digitally on December 15, 2008, containing Pemberton's contributions.[40]
LittleBigPlanet contains 21 licensed tracks and 14 original tracks made by the composers,[36] with key licensed bands includingthe Go! Team andBattles.[41] The licensed songs were sought for and negotiated by Young.[36] Much of the original music took influence fromworld music,mashups, and1970s television shows for children.[36] Interactive tracks, most of which were composed by Clark,[42] allow the player to change what instruments are playing at any given time.[36][41] The main theme was composed by Pemberton.[43]
One of the licensed songs in the game isToumani Diabate's "Tapha Niang", fromBoulevard de l'Independance (2006).[44][45] The song contained lyrics, sung by Moussa Diabate, that lamented the death of Diabate's brother Mustapha and used passages from theQur'an, theIslamic religious text.[46] Though Toumani was a "devout Muslim", the inclusion of the song in beta versions ofLittleBigPlanet was met with controversy amongMuslim gamers who found combining the text of the Qur'an with music to be offensive. They requestedSony Computer Entertainment (SCE) to remove the track via a patch.[47] Subsequently,LittleBigPlanet was recalled from retailers worldwide on 17 October 2008, delaying its release.[48] Version 1.02 was implemented to remove the lyrical content of "Tapha Niang".[49]
LittleBigPlanet was first announced in March 2007 at the GDC during Harrison's keynote address[16][50] about innovative trends of customisation and social interaction in contemporary games.[51] During the address, Healey conducted a demonstration of the game's various creative tools and a pre-made level.[50][52] In July 2007, the game was presented in a similar fashion at theElectronic Entertainment Expo (E3).[53] It was showcased at theTokyo Game Show (TGS) in September 2007,[54] at theConsumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2008,[55] and at theLeipzig Games Convention in August 2008.[56]LittleBigPlanet was also showcased for a second time at E3 in July 2008[57] and at TGS in October 2008.[58]
SCE undertook a pre-order campaign in the run-up to the game's release. In August 2008 in North America, SCE partnered with several major online retailers to offer unique bonus gifts to customers pre-ordering the game from the selected retailers. These gifts include a sticker book, a burlap pouch, and an official game guide, along with downloadable costumes for Sackboy, such asKratos fromGod of War and Nariko fromHeavenly Sword.[59][60] According toEngadget, while the United States got all the pre-order bonuses, Canada only got the Kratos and Nariko costumes.[61] In Europe,Play.com offered the Nariko costume to customers who pre-ordered the game.[62][63]
Around May 2007, a demo ofLittleBigPlanet was rumoured.[64] Although it was planned to be released in late 2007,[65] public relations officer Ron Eagle confirmed in December that there would be no demo that year.[66] In September 2008, a limited public beta was made available tostress test the sharing functions inLittleBigPlanet.[67] Availability lasted from 24 September to 11 October 2008. Players were required to have access to a beta key, which was a code that could be inputted at thePlayStation Store for access to the beta test. Various sites gave out beta keys around that time, includingEurogamer andIGN.[68][69]
LittleBigPlanet became one of the most widely anticipated PlayStation 3 games of 2008,[70] with favorable coverage from the press and particular hype from beta testers.[71] Jeremy Dunham ofIGN reported after GDC 2007, "even in the presence ofHome,[a] Sony's impressive new community software,LittleBigPlanet stole the show at Phil Harrison's Game 3.0 practice conference, and was the thing that everyone was talking about."[73] The presentation for E3 2007 won theGame Critics Awards for "Best Original Game",[74] and the presentation for E3 2008 won "Best Console Game" and "Best Social/Casual/Puzzle".[75] Evans expressed surprise at the hype of the game, stating, "We had no expectation that it would become so strongly associated as a lead title on a platform."[76]
The first announcements pointed to a full release early in 2008,[77] but Sony later said the game had been delayed until September 2008 in the UK.[78] During Sony PlayStation Day on 6 May 2008 in London, Sony announced the game would be delayed until October.[79] By September 2008, the release date was confirmed to be 21 October 2008 in North- and Latin America, with a European release later that week.[80] However, it was brought to the attention of SCE that the in-game song, "Tapha Niang", contained expressions from the Qur'an. On 17 October, SCE instigated a recall of all copies ofLittleBigPlanet from retailers to avoid offending Muslims and to remove the lyrics. This recall delayed the release of the game.[48][81]
BeforeLittleBigPlanet's release, two patches were released. Version 1.01 added new costumes and tweaked online functionality, and version 1.02 removed the lyrics from "Tapha Niang".[82][83]LittleBigPlanet was first released in North America on 27 October 2008, with the servers being activated the same day.[84][85] It was then released in Japan on 30 October,[86] Europe on 5 November 2008,[87] and Australia on 7 November.[88] All levels that were created during the beta phase were transferred to the final version.[85] On 28 October, the servers were shut down due to "glitching issues".[89] Version 1.03 was released 30 October to lighten server Loads.[90]
On 19 December 2008, version 1.07 was released, featuring the addition of an in-game store to buydownloadable content (DLC) and an overhaul of the level search function.[91] Version 1.12, codenamed the "Cornish Yarg" update, was released on 16 April 2009. It featured a music player that allowed users to play songs from the PlayStation menu and an improved decoration mode, among other fixes.[92][93] Version 1.21 was codenamed the "Leerdammer" update,[94] and was released on 30 November 2009. It added the ability to access create mode while online with friends, along with a more location-based matchmaking system and various other changes.[95]
A Game of the Year Edition ofLittleBigPlanet was released in North America on 8 September 2009.[96] This version included all of the content from the original game, as well as exclusive levels from 18 members of theLittleBigPlanet community.[97] The re-release also included theMetal Gear Solid, Monsters, and History costume and level packs, and the Animals costume pack. A limited number of copies of the game also included a code that gave the player access to a beta ofModNation Racers.[98] Initially, there were no plans to release theGame of the Year Edition in Europe;[99] however, a version for the United Kingdom was eventually announced for release on 16 April 2010.[100]
LBP.me, the communityweb portal forLittleBigPlanet that allowed players to search for community levels, was launched in December 2010.[101][102] Following the2011 PlayStation Network outage, Sony offered, for 30 days, two free selections, out of five games, as part of the "Welcome Back" campaign, one of which wasLittleBigPlanet.[103] In July 2016, allLittleBigPlanet servers were shut down in Japan, though they remained online outside of Japan, besidesLittleBigPlanet Karting andLittleBigPlanet (2009).[104] LBP.me was shut down in November 2020.[105] On 12 March 2021, all the servers in theLittleBigPlanet franchise were shut down. Although the cited reason was "technical issues", many players believed it was because of aDDOS attack.[106][107] Although, the servers were briefly brought back online on 22 May 2021, they were taken down again because of DDOS attacks, harassment, andhate speech. The servers were permanently closed on 13 September 2021, after months of issues, with the exception of thePlayStation 4 port ofLittleBigPlanet 3,[9][108] which was shut down on 8 January 2024.[109]
Over the years,LittleBigPlanet and the franchise it spawned have gathered a large amount ofdownloadable content (DLC), most of which was based on third-party media, which in the first game were typically PlayStation games and "longstanding transmedia properties" such asDisney. In general, there were two types of DLC: costume packs and level kits.[110] Categories of costume packs include seasonal, regular, and licensed. Seasonal & Limited Time costumes are free, while regular and licensed costumes require payment.[111] The DLC in the first game was made compatible with other games in the franchise in August 2012.[112] The first level kit was the Festive Level Pack, which contained Christmas-related objects and stickers. It was available from 18 December 2008 to 8 January 2009.[113]
A level kit and costume pack based onMetal Gear Solid was released on 23 December 2008. The level kit had five main levels and various objects and stickers. One of the objects was thePaintinator.[114][115] On 23 April 2009, Creator Pack 1 was released as a downloadable content pack for free. This pack added newCreate-mode tools, including a new type of checkpoint which provides the player with an infinite number of lives for a given section, a tetherless version of the jetpack, and a power-up removal marker that forces the player to drop any power-ups such as the jetpack.[116][117] The History Kit was released on 13 August 2009 with various historical-themed objects and stickers, along with a sound object and music track.[118] Three new songs composed by Clark were released on 8 October 2009, as the MM Music Pack 1. The songs were "Well Trained", "Wise Owl", and "Tea By The Sea".[119][120]
After being announced in August 2009,[121] water was added to the game through a level kit based onPirates of the Caribbean, which was released on 22 December 2009, along with a related costume pack. The level kit also had five levels and various objects and stickers.[122][123] DLC related toThe Incredibles, which includes costumes based on the characters and a level kit containing themed stickers and items, was released on 8 April 2010.[124] TheMarvel DLC was added toLittleBigPlanet on 7 July 2010, including a few costumes and a level kit containing Marvel-themed stickers, music, and items.[125][126] On 31 December 2015, the Marvel DLC was removed from the PlayStation Store, making them unavailable to players who had not purchased them at the time.[127] On 21 December 2017, allDisney-related DLC for the franchise was removed from the PlayStation Store. This included many costume packs and the two Disney-related level kits from the first game, which were based onPirates of the Caribbean andthe Incredibles.[128][129]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 95/100[130] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | A+[131] |
| Computer and Video Games | 9.6/10[4] |
| Edge | 10/10[132] |
| Eurogamer | 9/10[5] |
| Game Informer | 9.5/10[133] |
| GamePro | 5/5[134] |
| GameSpot | 9/10[2] |
| Giant Bomb | 5/5[135] |
| IGN | UK: 9.7/10[136] US: 9.5/10[1] AU: 9.2/10[3] |
| PlayStation Official Magazine – UK | 10/10[7] |
| X-Play | 5/5[137] |
| Publication | Award |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | Best Game (2008)[138] |
| GamePro | Game of the Year (2008)[139] |
| GameTrailers | Most Innovative Game (2008)[140] |
| IGN | Best New IP (2008) Most Innovative Design (2008)[141] |
LittleBigPlanet received widespread critical acclaim.[142] Mike D'Alonzo ofX-Play stated, "The game has a few issues that could certainly use some tweaking, but they don't even come close to making this anything less than one of the most incredible games ever made."[137]GamePro's Tae K. Kim calledLittleBigPlanet "one of the most amazing and interesting gaming experiences ever designed."[134]LittleBigPlanet was called byEdge "one of gaming's rare triumphs."[132]
The creative aspect ofLittleBigPlanet has been widely praised by critics,[7] though some have noted how it takes patience to create a great level.[3][135] Nick Suttner from1Up.com praised the create mode.[131] Mike Jackson ofComputer and Video Games pointed out thatuser-generated content had been talked about in the gaming industry, and felt that Sony successfully created a great game in this matter withLittleBigPlanet.[4]Game Informer's Joe Juba noted how "The tools are complicated enough to perform complex tasks, but simple enough to be accessible to any motivated gamer."[133] Kim agreed and praised the create mode for being "powerful enough" for the player to create the desired level.[134] Oli Welsh fromEurogamer said thatLittleBigPlanet's "creative tools turn it into something else entirely, a unique, hilarious, endless entertainment."[5]
The community aspect has also been widely praised.[131] Some critics have recommended playingLittleBigPlanet with an online connection.[135][143][144] D'Alonzo found the online community features to be "as slick as they are accessible."[137] Welsh in particular found the tagging system in Cool Levels to be "genius".[5] Despite the praise of the community, views ofLittleBigPlanet's multiplayer were largely mixed.[4][135] Guy Cocker ofGameSpot wrote thatLittleBigPlanet was more fun when playing with multiple players, but more flawed as a result, citing the "memorable" multiplayer puzzles as good, but the clunkiness of the multiplayer in general as bad.[2] Matt Wales fromIGN noticed that cooperative play was not a significant part of the game.[136]
The story mode was generally praised.[4][145] Chris Roper ofIGN found the first three levels of the story mode to be a good introduction to the game.[1] Leon Purley ofPlayStation Official Magazine – UK praised the mix of "action, challenge, and wonder" in the story mode, finding the quality to be perfect and recommending it those who are weary after encountering create mode.[7] Suttner said that story mode "features some of the most endearing 2D levels in modern gaming."[131] John Teti, writing forThe A.V. Club, called the plot brief and brilliant with replay value.[146] In contrast, Seth Schiesel ofThe New York Times found it to be lacklustre, finding the levels made by the community to be better.[143]Variety's Ben Fritz found the story mode to be "less [of] an experience ... than an exercise in collecting hundreds of items and tools and learning how to use them."[147]
Despite the widespread publicityLittleBigPlanet had before and after release, sales had dwindled toward the end of 2008.[148] In the UK,LittleBigPlanet entered the all-formats charts, recorded by theELSPA, at #4 before dropping, being at #19 by November 2008.[149][150] before dropping to #29.LittleBigPlanet sales increased by 58 per cent and raised it from #29 to #16 in the charts by mid-December.[151] In the US, the game sold 356,000 units during October and November, placing it fourth amongst all PlayStation 3 software sales for that period.[152] It entered October's chart, recorded by theNPD Group, at #8 before falling out of the top 20 by the end of November.[153] In Japan,LittleBigPlanet had sold 52,000 copies.[154] Sony responded to the lacklustre sales by saying that they were pleased by the performance, citingLittleBigPlanet being a new IP and claiming that it was released in an "incredibly volatile time of year and the chart reflects that."[149]
In January 2009, Sony announced that the game had sold 611,000 units in North America up to the end of December 2008[153] and thatLittleBigPlanet had sold 1.3 million units worldwide.[155] The game sold 300,000 units at the beginning of February 2009.[156] By March 2010, the game had sold over 3 million copies worldwide.[157] Following thePSN outage in April 2011,LittleBigPlanet gained 1.5 million new users.[158] By October 2018,LittleBigPlanet had sold 4.5 million copies.[26]
LittleBigPlanet was nominated for and won numerous awards.LittleBigPlanet won the most awards in the 10th AnnualNAVGTR Awards in 2008, winning six of the ten awards it was nominated for. They were "Game of the Year", "Game Design", "Game Original Children's", "Graphics/Technical", Innovation in Game Play", and "Supp Performance in a Comedy".[159]LittleBigPlanet was judged "Best PlayStation 3 Game" at the 2008Spike Video Game Awards.[160]LittleBigPlanet was given the award for "Artistic Achievement" at the5th British Academy Video Games Awards.[161]LittleBigPlanet won in eight categories out of ten nominations during theAIAS12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, garnering "Overall Game of the Year", "Console Game of the Year", "Family Game of the Year", "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming", outstanding achievement in "Art Direction", "Character Performance" (Sackboy), "Game Direction", and "Visual Engineering".[162] It was given the awards for "Best New Debut", "Best Game Design", "Best Technology", and the "Innovation Award" at theGame Developers Choice Awards.[163] It won all the categories it was nominated for in the 2009Develop Industry Excellence Awards, winning "Best New IP", "Technical Innovation", and "Visual Arts".[164] It won "Family Game of the Year" in theGolden Joystick Awards.[165]
Among publications,LittleBigPlanet was ranked thebest video game of 2008 byEurogamer andGamePro.[138][139] Other publications that rankedLittleBigPlanet among the best of the year includedGame Informer,[166]Joystiq,[167]The Telegraph,[168] andTime.[169]IGN awardedLittleBigPlanet "Best NewIP" and "Best Platform Game" and nominated the game for "Overall Game of the Year".[170]GameTrailers andKotaku awardedLittleBigPlanet "Most Innovative Game" and "Best Innovation", respectively.[140][171]LittleBigPlanet was ranked among thegreatest video games of all time byGame Informer (2009),[172]Edge (2013),[173]IGN (2014),[174]GamesRadar+ (2014),[175]Empire (2014),[176] andPolygon (2017).[177]
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 10th Annual NAVGTR Awards | Game of the Year | LittleBigPlanet | Won | [159] |
| Game Design | |||||
| Game Original Children's | |||||
| Graphics/Technical | |||||
| Innovation In Game Play | |||||
| Supp Performance in a Comedy | Stephen Fry | ||||
| Art Direction in a Game Engine | LittleBigPlanet | Nominated | |||
| Character Design | |||||
| Control Design | |||||
| Lighting/Texturing | |||||
| 2008 Spike Video Game Awards | Studio of the Year | Media Molecule | Won | [178][179] | |
| Best PS3 Game | LittleBigPlanet | ||||
| Game of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Graphics | |||||
| Best Original Score | |||||
| Best Performance by a Human Male | Stephen Fry | ||||
| Best Soundtrack | LittleBigPlanet | ||||
| 2009 | 5th British Academy Games Awards | Artistic Achievement in 2009 | Won | [180] | |
| Casual in 2009 | Nominated | ||||
| Game Award of 2008 in 2009 | |||||
| Original Score in 2009 | |||||
| Technical Achievement in 2009 | |||||
| Use of Audio in 2009 | |||||
| 7th Game Audio Network Guild Awards | Best Interactive Score | Won | [181][182] | ||
| Best Original Instrumental | "The Gardens" | ||||
| Audio of the Year | LittleBigPlanet | Nominated | |||
| Music of the Year | |||||
| Sound Design of the Year | |||||
| Best Dialogue | |||||
| Best Original Vocal - Choral | "Main Theme" | ||||
| Best Use of Licensed Music | LittleBigPlanet | ||||
| 10th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards | Best Debut | Won | [163] | ||
| Game Design | |||||
| Innovation Award | |||||
| Technology | |||||
| Game of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Audio | |||||
| Visual Design | |||||
| 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards | Overall Game of the Year | Won | [162] | ||
| Console Game of the Year | |||||
| Family Game of the Year | |||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction | |||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance(Sackboy) | |||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction | |||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering | |||||
| Outstanding Innovation in Gaming | |||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack | |||||
| 2009 Develop Industry Excellence Awards | Best Independent Developer | Media Molecule | Won | [183][164] | |
| Best New IP | LittleBigPlanet | ||||
| Best New Studio | Media Molecule | ||||
| Technical Innovation | LittleBigPlanet | ||||
| Visual Arts | |||||
| Golden Joystick Awards 2009 | Family Game of the Year | [165] | |||
| 2009British Academy Children's Awards | Video Game | [184] |
Around the time of its release,LittleBigPlanet took off in popularity, with Mikel Reparaz ofGamesRadar+ having noticed in November 2008 that "hundreds, if not thousands, of PSN users ha[d] been uploading a continuous stream of homemade levels to the game's straining servers, with varying levels of quality and dedication."[185] By July 2009, one million levels had been published onLittleBigPlanet,[186] and by July 2013, eight million levels had been published across the franchise.[187] There was a variety of levels created, including side-scrolling shooters. Reportedly, levels were being created that went "beyond even Media Molecule's wildest expectations."[8] After a 2011 PSN outage, Evans had observed that multiple levels were being published per second and that "basically, everybody publishes a level."[158] By the time the servers shut down for all games in the franchise, with the exception of the PS4 port ofLittleBigPlanet 3, ten million levels had been published across the franchise.[9]
Despite the popularity, there has been little scholarly research on the culture surroundingLittleBigPlanet.[188] Though an early analysis focused on the commercial and technological infrastructures' influence on player innovation,[189] later studies would focus on player agency within the community.[188] Sara M. Grimes, ofCultural Studies, noted how the cultural scene is "tethered" to Sony and integrates player-based activity and cultures into theLittleBigPlanet brand. She concluded that the digital culture surroundingLittleBigPlanet could either be a call to revisit ways cultural scenes can be evaluated or a corporate-controlled infrastructure that is too broad to be considered a cultural scene.[188][190]
WhileLittleBigPlanet was not the first game to be marketed around user creation[26] and havingPC players modify PC games, the required tools were not available to console players at the time.[191]LittleBigPlanet was not only the first game of this type on console, but the first mainstream game to give players creative tools to create levels and share them with the community.[26][192][193] The game coincided with the rise of user-generated content and proved that developing creation tools for video games was worth investing in.[26][192][191] It was also an early example of website integration and public beta testing, which was not common before.[26][194] By January 2009,Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studio had declared the game to be "the most important creative innovation of 2008".[195]
The success ofLittleBigPlanet kickstarted a genre of video games where the player could create their own levels.[191][196] Sony would apply the tagline "Play, Create, Share" to their racing game,ModNation Racers. While it was not as successful asLittleBigPlanet, other games such asTrials,Planet Minigolf, andJoe Danger would follow suit in applying the same philosophy.[26] Other games in the genre includeMinecraft andSuper Mario Maker.[194] After distancing themselves from theLittleBigPlanet franchise,[197] Media Molecule developedDreams, which further expanded upon game creation.[196][198]
Sackboy became a mascot for Sony.[30][199] Media Molecule and Sony initially indicated that there were no plans to create a traditional sequel toLittleBigPlanet.[200][201] Alex Evans said he did not want to ship a traditional sequel because of the "huge emotional investment" users have made inLittleBigPlanet. Game creators focused on "expand[ing] the game without partitioning the audience" to preserve the user-generated content from LBP.[20]LittleBigPlanet would eventually spawn many follow-ups.Metacritic reported that most of the follow-ups received positive reviews.[202] The exceptions wereSackboy's Prehistoric Moves,LittleBigPlanet Karting, andRun Sackboy! Run!, which received "mixed or average reviews".[203][204][205]
In February 2009, Sony announced aspin-off ofLittleBigPlanet for thePlayStation Portable, developed bySCE Studio Cambridge andMedia Molecule,[206] which was released in November 2009.[207][208] Media Molecule announced in May 2010 thatLittleBigPlanet 2 was in development,[209][210] amid rumours.[211][212]Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves, a demo ofLittleBigPlanet 2 meant to introduce PlayStation Move, was released on January 18, 2010.[213] The sequel was released in January 2011.[214][215] A second spin-off for thePlayStation Vita was announced alongside the PlayStation Vita, then known as "Next Generation Portable", in January 2011.[216] The game, titledLittleBigPlanet PS Vita, would be developed in conjunction betweenTarsier Studios andDouble Eleven,[217] and was released in September 2012.[218] Aracing spin-off titledLittleBigPlanet Karting was rumoured to have been announced at a retailer event hosted by Sony in February 2012.[219][220] It was confirmed by Sony the same month.[221] The game was primarily developed byUnited Front Games, with Media Molecule serving as a supporting developer,[222] and was released in November 2012.[223]
A direct sequel toLittleBigPlanet 2, developed bySumo Digital,[224] was announced in June 2014 atElectronic Entertainment Expo.[225] With the exception of during early development, Media Molecule was largely uninvolved inLittleBigPlanet 3, as they were working onTearaway andDreams at the time,[226][227] and Media Molecule wanted to "step away" from the franchise.[197] The game was released in November 2014 for PlayStation 3 andPlayStation 4.[228][229] In September 2014, afree to play,endless running game spin-off developed byFiresprite, titledRun Sackboy! Run!, was announced.[230] It was released in October 2014 for theAndroid andiOS,[231] and on March 31, 2015, for the PlayStation Vita.[232] After a hiatus,Sackboy: A Big Adventure, a3D platform game developed by Sumo Digital, was announced in June 2020 at Sony's Future of Gaming event.[233][234] Unlike most of the previous games, it does not feature a Create Mode akin to the previous games.[235][236] It was released in November 2020 for the PlayStation 4 andPlayStation 5.[237]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)Developed by Tarsier Studios and Double Eleven Ltd.
Developed byMedia Molecule forSony Interactive Entertainment | |||||
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