The Creation of LittleBigPlanet

LittleBigPlanet is a puzzle platformer developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PS3 in 2008. The game was marketed with the tagline of “Play, Create, Share.” It was a campaign that introduced players to the game’s mechanics and put the tools in the hands of the community to create their own levels and share them online. While this isn’t necessarily groundbreaking today, it predates the other major titles with user-generated content such as Minecraft and Super Mario Maker. This formula gave the game a life beyond what the developers had imagined by having the community create endless amounts of content for years to come. Although LittleBigPlanet wasn’t an immediate success, it did become one of Playstation’s biggest new IPs on the PS3. It also helped popularize creation tools on consoles with over one million levels created one year after its release.

The Future of LittleBigPlanet

The LittleBigPlanet franchise continues with a spin-off platformer on the PS5 but without the creation aspect that made the games popular, leaving players to hope for an eventual LittleBigPlanet 4. However, other games such as Super Mario Maker 2 have taken over the mantle, following the same formula with over 26 million courses created since its 2019 release on the Nintendo Switch. Although Sackboy: A Big Adventure wasn’t the game that longtime LittleBigPlanet fans wanted, it does continue the legacy of an enduring mascot that Media Molecule crafted — one that stands alongside other great Playstation icons such as Nathan Drake and Kratos.