During the PS3 era, PlayStation were willing to experiment. Long before the likes of Minecraft or more fitting in this comparison, Mario Maker, Sony dabbled with content creation.
Launching in 2008 and developed by Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet is a 2.5D platformer that thrived on the community. Every mainline and handheld release featured a single-player campaign with co-op support, but they gave the community the tools they used.
The end result? Magic. Many amazing creations, even full-on game genres, were explored through the LittleBigPlanet engine. But after nearly a decade of support, PlayStation is turning the servers offline.
Death of LittleBigPlanet – Servers Going Offline
The servers for LittleBigPlanet, housing thousands of levels and creations, carried over to the Sumo Digital developed LittleBigPlanet 3. Issues started showing up for the servers in early 2024 and Sony never bothered to address those issues.
As of this writing, we know why. They are shutting down the servers wholesale, and as of today thousands of creations are permanently lost to time. The official Twitter/X account for LittleBigPlanet has stated the following.
An important message from us regarding the LittleBigPlanet servers and online features: pic.twitter.com/QLweKxvD3s
— Sackboy: A Big Adventure | LittleBigPlanet (@LittleBigPlanet) April 19, 2024
Impact of LittleBigPlanet
While this franchise is not important to PlayStation like Last of Us or God of War is to them, it has lasted generations. PlayStation 3 had all three numbered installments, while both PSP and Vita had their own iterations of the title. The Vita version even supported DLC and levels created from the PS3 titles.
Each game built off one another, adding more layers to the level creator. The original was more limited, but the sequel allowed full-on genres to be built within its engine. In many ways, it was the precursor to what we eventually saw with Dreams on PS4.
Media Molecule moved on from LittleBigPlanet after its sequel, developing the hidden Vita gem Tearaway and the already-mentioned Dreams.
Sack Boy, the franchise’s mascot has stuck around. He even had his own great adventure on PS4 and PS5 in 2020, being a wonderful Super Mario 3D World-inspired romp. The little guy even shows up on the PlayStation Studios splash screen for content like the Last of Us TV show and Uncharted movie.
Sony Doesn’t Care About Legacy
This may be a tad out of pocket but I will say it anyway. A move like this, letting a server die without giving people prior notice it would be going offline, implies one thing to me. PlayStation as a platform, does not care about the legacy of its franchises.
While one could make the argument companies like Nintendo and Microsoft don’t leverage their massive collection of dormant franchises, I personally find PlayStation’s approach very frustrating.
Sure, I’m not playing a new Banjo adventure on my Series X or enjoying the new Earthbound on my Nintendo Switch. But at the very least I can play those legacy games on those platforms. Only recently PlayStation has made efforts to bring over legacy content to PlayStation 5, but it’s not enough.
LittleBigPlanet isn’t the only PlayStation 3-era franchise now firmly abandoned. Resistance and its trilogy of games are trapped on PlayStation 3, with only the final game in that trilogy playable via PS Plus Premium Streaming. While you could stream the Killzone franchise via PS Plus Premium Streaming, those titles are heavy on game feel and do not translate well over the cloud. The Motorstorm series only has the third game playable in Cloud Streaming.
And that doesn’t even mention genuinely great franchises like Sly Cooper not even having a finished story.
We may celebrate PlayStation’s past, but the company doesn’t.
Warning Shot for Dreams
LittleBigPlanet 3’s servers have lasted for nearly six years and that title was attached to a known IP. With Dreams sun setting major support from Media Molecule and no PC version in development… I have to wonder about the state of the creations built in that project.
It is a step beyond what LittleBigPlanet accomplished. Dreams houses full-on games, original and fan efforts alike. Even post-sun-setting, people are making content within Dreams. But how much shelf life will those projects have if LittleBigPlanet’s servers are offline?
Sony made a firm message with their handling of both Dreams and LittleBigPlanet. They don’t want to house platforms or services that are built around community-driven content.
So for any people working within Dreams that may read this article, seriously consider porting your efforts if possible into Unity, Unreal, or any other engine.
Closing Thoughts
While I never was a huge fan of LittleBigPlanet, I love the work Media Molecule creates. Specifically, their work on Tearaway will always stick with me. That game, not unlike Team Asobi’s Astro’s Playroom, offered such a Nintendo-esc quality product. It used the Vita to its fullest extent, creating an experience that cannot be created anywhere else. Even when they themselves attempted to get that wider audience on PS4 with Tearaway Unfolded.
I miss the PlayStation of old and decisions like the one they made here, tell me they will never come back. But what do you all think? Will you miss Sack Boy and his many adventures? Let us know in the comments below.
