On 19 April 2024, a message was uploaded to the social media platform, X, from the official LBP account, explaining that the LittleBigPlanet 3 servers for PS4 will be kept offline indefinitely. The announcement further clarified that "all online services including access to other players' creations for LittleBigPlanet 3 are no longer available."
The statement understandably evoked a lot of devastation and upset amongst those who still actively played the game, as well as others who simply grew up with the franchise. The outcry from fans was primarily due to the fact that LittleBigPlanet 3 online servers have been unplayable for the past few months, as a result of coding issues, and they feel that there was potential for them to be fixed. The hurt further comes from people's hard work and efforts that they contributed to the game through developing their own levels, is now unretrievable and quite simply lost in the void of the LBP franchise.
The closing of the LittleBigPlanet 3 servers unfortunately concludes the online services of the LBP series completely; LittleBigPlanet 1's servers closed in May of 2021, with LittleBigPlanet 2's servers shortly following in September of the same year.
Although, our favourite customisable protagonist, Sackboy, lives on in the spin-off game, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, there were mixed opinions towards the game, and arguments that it is not as successful as the original LittleBigPlanet that people know and love, despite winning multiple awards in recent years. Whilst Sackboy: A Big Adventure is an objectively good game, it lacks the nostalgic feel of the other LBP games due to its dissimilar gameplay style that fans have grown so attached to.
LittleBigPlanet, developed by Media Molecule, is a collection of games released between the late 2000s and early 2010s. The series consisted of story-led, puzzle-platform gameplay, as well as the ability for players to curate their own levels to publish for others to enjoy.
Growing up in this period of time, LittleBigPlanet allowed for people to have creative freedom, and the ability to design, quite literally, anything you could imagine. From countless cosmetic choices to obscure objects, the game included a variety of different tools for players to make their LBP experience enjoyable and personal to them.
To say players took advantage of this opportunity would be an understatement, as, to-date, there are in excess of ten-million user-generated levels. These games were nothing short of masterpieces as gamers pushed the realms of inventiveness, producing levels that ranged from cinematic horror games, to parkour landscapes, to intense fighting games, or just scenic pieces to allow for relaxation and to take fun pictures with friends.
LBP is still widely loved across the globe with our beloved Sackboy recently being voted the fifth most iconic video game character of all time. Fans, myself included, wish to see a 'LittleBigPlanet 4' in the future, in order to relive fond memories and witness advances in the franchise as it explores the possibilities of modern consoles.
We hope to return to our rocket-shaped pods soon.
