LittleBigPlanet in September

By Robert Purchese Published 7 January, 2008

Sony source says so.

A source nestled within Sony has whispered to Eurogamer that LittleBigPlanet will be on our shelves in September, echoing the same suggestions made elsewhere.

Unfortunately a spokesperson refused to comment and officially unearth the date, leaving it buried suspiciously under the patio instead. With realistic physics, probably.

LittleBigPlanet turned heads last March when Phil Harrison unveiled it at GDC, impressing with its children's telly-style presentation and original concept: the idea is you build your own games using an intuitive toolset, then share it with the PS3 community.

Saunter over to Eurogamer TV to see what happened when Johnny Minkley spent some time with the game at E3 last summer.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (60) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • philw #1 4 years ago

    So it'll end up being 2009 then.

  • numptyboymatt #2 4 years ago

    September?..... oh :o(

    I thought it was due March/April time? Was really looking forward to this as well.

  • barnard666 #3 4 years ago

    I thought this was nearly finished...:(

  • JediMasterMalik #4 4 years ago

    :(

    That's sad, hopefully a beta or something soon though.

  • Vice.Destroyer #5 4 years ago

    I'll say this as a disclaimer. I am an Xbox owner, but I'd like to ask the PS3 owners whether you are anticipating this game. Just an innocent question, but I would like to see whether the hype of this game is really just dreamt up by videogame journalists or whether it is genuine.

  • Beano #6 4 years ago

    PS3 and Sony needs LBP to be out Q1 and not in Q3/Q4.... 'nuff said!

  • viper_h #7 4 years ago

    Jesus, what the hell is taking so long?

    The graphics are basic, there's a "build-your-own" level system and no gameplay...

    Sony's one of the richest companies in the world and it's taking them 3 years to come out with what's basically an SDK???

    Lazy.

  • JediMasterMalik #8 4 years ago

    The graphics are far from basic. Just because it's set in a 2D plane doees not make the graphics "basic". In fact the graphics are excellent. And saying there's no gameplay is rich from someone who's not had a chance to play it.

  • Penguinzoot #9 4 years ago

    PS3 and Sony needs LBP to be out Q1 and not in Q3/Q4.... 'nuff said!

    I think Septembers probably not a bad time to release this game to give it lots of time for casual interest in the game to gather momentum, ready for the Christmas 2008 buying season. I can just picture the short TV spots even now.

    Dissapointed it's not spring though.

  • viper_h #10 4 years ago

    I got bored waiting for Spore a long time ago :p

    And I'm not dissing the game... If I owned a PS3 I'd be looking forward to it, but I just don't see what is taking so long, considering we've seen gameplay demos and the game looks pretty-much finished. What's gonna happen in 9 months?

    And the gameplay isn't exactly shouting "Mario Galaxy" at me either... Jumping and physics/see-saw puzzles a-la Half-Life 2 don't impress any more.
    Edited by 1 at 07/01/08 @ 10:13

  • DrDamn #11 4 years ago

    @Vice.Destroyer
    Yes absolutely I'm really looking forward to this one. It's the sort of innovation which I think Sony have a knack for getting on their machines and something the PS3 has lacked so far. I'm not so sure it will sell in the numbers an exceptional FPS or Racer would do, but the fact that Sony still back it so strongly is a spark of hope that someone there still knows what they are doing.

    @viper_h
    The more they can put into the game the better. It also needs to ship with a reasonable number of pack-in levels. They need to take the time, get it right. It's a small developer backed by Sony, and a highly creative project they can't just chuck resources at to get things done quicker.

  • Darren #12 4 years ago

    SEPTEMBER??? /shock

  • JediMasterMalik #13 4 years ago

    The last game they made was ragdoll kung-fu, you decide how big of a developer they are. Obiously, they're using this time to make sure there's plenty of content both as pre-made levels, and stuff you can use to build levels with.

  • BadBoyBonner #14 4 years ago

    Looks beautiful to me but what I find harder to see is where the real gameplay is. Obviously all will be revealed, but at the moment it seems more of a novelty item than a game of the year contender to me.

  • Steroyd #15 4 years ago

    :(

  • Beano #16 4 years ago

    @Penguinzoot: My point is that PS3/Sony needs exclusive and different content out NOW rather than later... LBP and Home is something that will really set PS3 apart from 360 and is important for PS3. But of course releasing unfinished products would be even worse ;)

    September/october is always a good time to release new games but not really the point :)

  • realworld666 Verified Lead Programmer, Fuzzy-Frog Games #17 4 years ago

    Creating a game that allows the player to do absolutely anything they want requires a significant amount more testing than a game that only allows the player to do the things the game designer wants you to do.

  • TurboBailey #18 4 years ago

    the wait continues.... we all know its gonna be brilliant. Id rather play something brilliant than incomplete.

    Wouldnt mind betting GT5, MGS4 and LBP are ALL delayed this year.
    Edited by 1 at 07/01/08 @ 10:27

  • JediMasterMalik #19 4 years ago

    MGS4 will definitely be this year though, I see no reason to delay it much further.

    Edit - Damn you!
    Edited by 2 at 07/01/08 @ 10:28

  • morriss #20 4 years ago

    I knew it. 2009.

  • Steroyd #21 4 years ago

    September/october is always a good time to release new games but not really the point :)

    But. Every. Frikken. Game. Under. The. Sun. Gets launched between September to December.

  • BulletTheory05 #22 4 years ago

    As people have said, a completed game will be far better than if it we're unfinished!
    Edited by 1 at 07/01/08 @ 10:36

  • aldo_14 #23 4 years ago

    The last game they made was ragdoll kung-fu, you decide how big of a developer they are. Obiously, they're using this time to make sure there's plenty of content both as pre-made levels, and stuff you can use to build levels with.

    Technically, they were founded by the ex-Lionhead guy who did Ragdoll Kung-Fu more or less on his own, so this is their first game full stop.

  • drxym #24 4 years ago

    What does "on our shelves" mean? The original plan was to release an open beta, let people go nuts making awesome levels that the community would rate and then pack the best of them on a disk. Is that's what is being released in September?

  • DonnieDarko333 #25 4 years ago

    wow thats a pretty late release.

  • JediMasterMalik #26 4 years ago

    @drxym - I don't think they ever said that, it's just something that was bandied about on forums, they did say that there would be an open beta, but not that levels created by the public would be used in the final disced version.

  • Mr-Brett #27 4 years ago

    "Sony's one of the richest companies in the world and it's taking them 3 years to come out with what's basically an SDK???"

    Sony aren't making the game though MediaMolecule are...

  • Kryon #28 4 years ago

    What? But nothing PS3 related ever gets delayed? :'(

  • The-Bodybuilder #29 4 years ago

    I'm still not convinced.

    Not that the game will be bad per se, but I just have the suspicions that the majority of casual gamers are lazy, and don't want to decide what they want to do, but expect the game to tell them what to do.

    Hack, Halo 3 is arguably the most popular game right now, and as much as people will hype the forge thingymajig, the number of people actually using it is very very small (I'm sure).

  • DrDamn #30 4 years ago

    @Kryon
    So what was the release date it has been delayed from?

  • monkie_king #31 4 years ago

    Is the final game going to have some kind of 1-player progression, like a series of platformer/puzzle levels? Or is it all just sandbox?

    It looks like the kind of thing that would be great to play around with for a few days, but I can't see the seemingly limited gameplay sustaining interest for that long. Even if there are thousands of user-created levels.

    Is there actually a game in there, or is it only meant to be a toybox?

  • Beano #32 4 years ago

    @monkie_king: I belive level designers (players) can set some kind of goals in the levels they design... I quess this is something the developers are expanding on and the reason for the delays. If LBP is just sandbox, players will get pretty tired quickly otherwise.

  • monkie_king #33 4 years ago

    from what i've seen, there's certainly potential there to make a linear set of 1P levels of increasing complexity. Seems a natural thing to do, gradually increasing the complexity and difficulty. I assume that level designers can also switch off the ability for players to create new objects etc. From the early demo there seemed to be no real division between level creation and play, which obviously means you could break the design of any level very easily.

  • bioreit #34 4 years ago

    @ Vice.Destroyer

    I'm a PC and 360 owner (and very soon to be a Wii owner, if City Link don't mess me about) but I'm looking forward to LBP. If this comes out before Christmas and the PS3 drops to £200 or under, I'm buying.

    This, along with Uncharted, Warhawk, Motorstorm and Ratchet and Clank would provide me with enough incentive to buy a PS3, at the right price (absolutely detest Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy, so the typical Sony fare has never been a draw for me).

    So, Sony, Media Molecule - take your time, make it good, time it so it isn't lost in the rush. And make sure the price of the PS3 is right.

  • George-Roper #35 4 years ago

    What a fucking JOKE.

    J.O.K.E.

  • monkie_king #36 4 years ago

    ronz: go and buy Metroid Prime 3, it's hugely good.

  • 3william56 #37 4 years ago

    @v.d. Obviously it will depend on the final product, but sure, I'm keen for it, even though I'm not a DIY youtube type. The previews just ooze personality and fun, and the prospect of gallons of mod type user content to trawl through sounds great. Will it convince idiots like Kryon that it's a game worth the purchase price of a PS3 alone? F**k no - nothing will. But as a quirky original concept to round out a growing game collection alongside the likes of Uncharted, Rachet, Motorstorm and Warhawk? Yup.

    Will be a difficult job for both media molecule and Sony. Everyone wants it perfect, but too long delayed will cause a backlash. And no matter what, nothing could live up to the current hype. I'm just hoping for this gen's Katamari.

  • Apostle #38 4 years ago

    D'oh.

    Place your bets that this is something to do with Home integration/content sharing. Home has been mysteriously quiet of late too, delayed as well, I bet.

  • Kenshin001 #39 4 years ago

    @monkie_king, the game will release with 50 levels but I think the user generated content will make this game. It will be like unlimited free DLC.

  • Beano #40 4 years ago

    "hype is a funny thing, i bought a wii for x mas and its sat there collecting dust since the big day, "

    My Wii is basicly a "galaxy box" ... :|

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #41 4 years ago

    I'd imagine that the delay is more to do with them finding a game within the brilliant toolset they've created than them fiddiling with the code.
    Edited by 1 at 07/01/08 @ 15:13

  • Kryon #42 4 years ago

    @DrDamn

    "So what was the release date it has been delayed from?"

    Some time before September I'd guess....

  • DrDamn #43 4 years ago

    The point being they hadn't announced a date for it - so how is it delayed?

  • George-Roper #44 4 years ago

    @DrDamn

    "The point being they hadn't announced a date for it - so how is it delayed?"

    Haha!

    Hahahahah!

    /gasp

    /BWUAHAHAHAHA!

    Fuck me, is THAT the best you can do, DrDamn?

    You tell me, how long as this 'game' been hyped for now? The fact that it's been put back by pretty much ONE YEAR whilst being hyped for what, around ONE YEAR, inherently means its delayed.

    Two big hitters for PS3. LBP and, you betcha, Home (mark my words) now delayed until late 2008.

    J.O.K.E.

  • DrDamn #45 4 years ago

    It's fairly simple to understand George, later than wanted but a delay needs a reference point. If you laugh that much about something like this then maybe you are best off just writing "lol" eh? That would make it clear exactly where you are coming from.

  • Kryon #46 4 years ago

    "The point being they hadn't announced a date for it - so how is it delayed?"

    Why do they have to tell you a specific date in order to suffer a delay? Just because they haven't given a date, that in no way means they didn't get delayed, does it.

  • Kryon #47 4 years ago

    /Example

    I want to get to Jane's house for 5pm to surprise her on her birthday, I miss the bus, I get to Jane's house at 6pm, Damn, I was delayed. OK, Jane doesn't know it because I didn't announce the specific time that I was going over, that doesn't mean I wasn't delayed, does it?

    You catching on yet?

  • DrDamn #48 4 years ago

    Surely every single game would like to come out sooner than it eventually does? Therefore all games are delayed. So what is your point with respect to LBP?

    If they had a date they thought they could release by before this time then they would have published it. They didn't, indicating they wanted to make sure they had the game right and confidence in a date before releasing it.

    Now when they miss the September date - which I think will happen - *then* you can post about delays. :)
    Edited by 1 at 07/01/08 @ 17:02

  • Kryon #49 4 years ago

    "Surely every single game would like to come out sooner than it eventually does?"

    No, not really, some games are strategically released at certain times, to release too early would be bad business sense in some circumstances. Not all games suffer delays, LBP did/has/is. The game was generally expected earlier, you can't deny that. It must have suffered delays, there's no crime in that but it's a fact all the same ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 07/01/08 @ 17:08

  • DrDamn #50 4 years ago

    I think it's been clear from a lot of the info shown so far that realistically it wasn't going to be released so quickly. People want it, Sony need it - and that has driven expectation that it would be released earlier. You can't say it has been delayed because of expectation though. A lack of a rough release date beyond saying "2008" before now has also backed up this point.

  • Kryon #51 4 years ago

    @You can't say it has been delayed because of expectation though. A lack of a rough release date beyond saying "2008" before now has also backed up this point."

    True, yet there's no way you can prove it has not suffered delays. The game was really expected before the end of 2008 so it's a safe bet to wager it has had delays. Neither of us can prove it either way but there's such a thing as an educated guess:)

  • George-Roper #52 4 years ago

    @DrDamn

    Haha, you jest sir! Surely! After one quick Google...

    WIKI: "Several dates have been speculated for the full version. Original announcements pointed to a release early in 2008, but recently Sony have confirmed that the game has indeed been delayed and is now aiming for a September release for the UK"

    Sony even went for a Qtr 4 / 2007 demo but pulled it. Please don't tell me that you think a game which ISN'T almost ready has a demo planned for release ONE YEAR before the actual release. You'll just look very, very stupid.

    Delayed for one reason. Xmas 2008. With Home. Put money on it.

    Also, yes, LBP has been mentioned as being a 'big hitter' for the PS3, alongside Home. I mean, let's face it, what else does it have to look forward to?

    Edited by 1 at 07/01/08 @ 19:01

  • Kryon #53 4 years ago

    LittleBigLOL

  • JediMasterMalik #54 4 years ago

    Oh god, they're back.

  • Apostle #55 4 years ago

    I want to love my PS3, but I can't.

  • Kryon #56 4 years ago

    @Apostle

    <a href=http://i12.tinypic .com/6jyzxfn.jpg>Try harder!</a>

  • DrDamn #57 4 years ago

    Had a date been announced and not just "speculated" or "expected" - simple question, yes or no?

  • bioreit #58 4 years ago

    @ DrDamn

    Not on any of the LBP Eurogamer news articles. Also can't find any concrete dates from any of the other main sites (Joystiq, Kotaku, GamesRadar), although I got bored of checking after a bit.

    My gut feeling says that there was never a proper release date - at most, there may have been some lowly Sony rep at some event who said 'possibly first half of 2008' or somesuch thing, which hardly counts.

    Like I said before - don't care if they 'delay' it until Autumn, as long as they make it good and schedule it so it doesn't get lost in the pre-Christmas build-up.

    Good adverts like Sony had in their PS1/Wipeout heyday would also be a benefit.

  • DrDamn #59 4 years ago

    If you actually look properly at the situation then the date is hardly surprizing. How long do you expect a small developer like Media Molecule to come up with a complex title like this? Not just the complexities of the game but integration into the PSN which is poorly defined and established compared to Live. If you thought early 2008 then that would be 2 years from set-up of the studio to publishing. Hardly realistic is it? So people can go on about when they wanted or expected the game all you like, take a health dose of realism though and this is the earliest the game was going to come. I actually expect it will probably be delayed from September and pushed closer to Christmas '08 because of Home.
    Edited by 1 at 08/01/08 @ 09:36

  • NotSoSlim #60 4 years ago

    @DrDamm

    Do you really think Sony are not helping them intergrate Home with this for Sept release date?

    Sony know that by then the PS3 will be cheaper and this will sell over xmas.