LittleBigPlanet

Lore & Background

The series takes place in a world known as LittleBigPlanet (or Craftworld), a realm made by the thoughts and dreams of every living creature in the Omniverse. Each 'Creator Curator' governs a part of LittleBigPlanet independently, and the geography is inspired by real-life Earth. All games follow the main protagonist Sackboy, a small anthropomorphic creature made of brown fabric with a zip fastener and button eyes, who can be customized using costumes unlocked in-game or bought as downloadable content. The player can control Sackboy's four emotions—happiness, sadness, worry, and anger—with the D-pad, each with three levels of intensity. The English language version of each game is narrated by Stephen Fry, with scripts written by Dean Wilkinson.

The first game, LittleBigPlanet (2008), was developed by Media Molecule under the name The Next Big Thing. The player controls Sackboy as he travels around LittleBigPlanet, helping eight creator curators and stopping The Collector, a rogue curator who kidnaps creations. The sequel, LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011), shifted the series from a traditional platform game to a 'platform for games', offering varied gameplay styles like racing, puzzles, and fighting. LittleBigPlanet 3 (2014), developed by Sumo Digital, introduces new playable characters OddSock, Toggle, and Swoop, as Sackboy travels to the world of Bunkum. The latest instalment, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, was released in 2020 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, with a Windows version in 2022.

Reader's Guide

The LittleBigPlanet series is significant for pioneering user-generated content in console gaming, with its 'Play, Create, Share' philosophy enabling millions of player-created levels. At the time of the PlayStation 3 servers' discontinuation, there were over ten million user-created levels available. The series expanded across multiple platforms, including PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, and Windows, and involved contributions from developers such as Tarsier Studios, Fireproof Games, Supermassive Games, and Sumo Digital. The series faced server challenges: all LittleBigPlanet servers were taken down on 22 May 2021 due to attacks, with servers for the PS4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 temporarily closed on 8 January 2024 and permanently shut down on 19 April 2024 due to ongoing technical issues. On 8 October 2024, it was announced that LittleBigPlanet 3 for PS4 and its DLC would be removed from the PlayStation Store on 31 October 2024. Despite these closures, the series' legacy endures through its emphasis on creativity and community, influencing later games that prioritize player-generated content.