Sony grooming Sackboy to be face of PS3
LittleBigPlanet under increasing pressure.
Sony is grooming LittleBigPlanet character Sackboy to become "the next emblematic character for the PS3".
Meaty marketing strategies, such as pre-order downloadable Sackboy designs based on Kratos from God of War or Nariko from Heavenly Sword, are already in place. And Sony plans to put mini-signs with working lights and moving parts all over the US to catch attention.
"We want LittleBigPlanet to lead the charge into a new genre of gaming and turn Sackboy into the next emblematic character for the PS3," Mark Valledor, marketeer for LBP, told Adage.
"We have coined 2008 'the year of the PS3', and are confident that with the launch of LittleBigPlanet we will continue to see the momentum build throughout the end of this year and on to the next," said Valledor. "This is a very big title for us."
Sony has stacked its chips high on LittleBigPlanet, claiming the game will be "a system seller" with a target audience of "everyone".
Luckily the game, which comes equipped with an inspirational toolset, appears to match the hype, as our E3 hands-on impressions of LittleBigPlanet will convey.
With developer Media Molecule keen on plenty of DLC support and still promising one major final reveal before release in October, the future is bright. And open to the possibility of Sackboy Strikers Charged, Sackboy Power Tennis, or Sackboy Sluggers.
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Comments (110) Latest comment 4 years ago
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Edit: Repairman was thinking the same thing it seems.
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WHAT ABOUT KAI?!
TWING-TWANG!
I'd love to fuck Kai.
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Um, actually I wouldn't mind that at all. I love me a bit of mascotty sports games. ;o)
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And he is Kinda Cute isant he!
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I think Sony will be announcing that the LBP devs are now first party pretty soon, in order to avoid such er problems.
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Lol, funny post
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A game like this won't be a system seller. Is it for casuals? (pardon the expression)
Is it for the core?( again pardon)
"No", says Sony, "It's for everyone"
The fuck it isn't!
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Would suck for sony a bit if this game turned out to be rubbish, there's just far too much hype and the moment and the general pattern of mega-hype = disapointment.
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at this rate the game isn't going to be reviewed as a nomral £40 everyday game, its going to be judged as some kind of flash gordon savior to the ps3
its going from 'hey this is a pretty cool game' to 'its over hyped, sony promised too much etc'
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I don't know if it's the game that will make PS3s fly off the shelves, but it's certainly something that will get consumers interested.
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Come on Microsoft, get your wallet out - yeaahh you've already treated yourself to a Final Fantasy, but what's a bit more for LBP gonna hurt??!
Or Nintendo - sort yourselves out and make a revamped Super Mario Bros 2 inspired by this (4 player co-op platformer feat. Mario, Luigi, Princess + Toad, online play.)
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Maybe they can borrow one from Nintendo, they seem to have a couple lying around.
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Well TBH I think MS is busy getting the XNA player stuff ready instead. With the homebrew scene totally open they kinda have their "construction" kit as well.
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but this game is not worth £400.
You will soon be able to get an 80gb one for £300.
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edit: @mcbi4kh2
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As a system seller i do know 2 people that say they will buy a ps3 for this game if it gets good reviews so i can see how its going to be a system seller, but it will take more than 1 game to push a system to the top.
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Crash was originally supposed to be the Sony answer to Sonic and Mario. But a) he didn't take off, and b) he went multiplatform. Really it was Heihachi, and later Cloud.
Daxter always had mascot potential, but for some reason they never saw it. Likewise Ratchet, to a lesser extent.
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Comes with a ds3 controller, and probably a bundle with LBP for £320 I'd say
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What Jammie Oliver in a gimp suit?
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Mm have a two-game deal with Sony, after which they can do as they please with their IP.
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What's all this 'saviour of the PS3' crap? Who said it needs saving, it appears to be doing rather well and outselling the 360 even though it's priced higher. They'll probably make more money out of selling plush sackboy toys than the game itself
Im sure this game will help continue the PS3s momentum forward but not to a great extent, i think MGS4 was more of a system seller than LBP.
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Did it sell that many systems?
I think GT5 will be the biggie.
But then I thought GTA4 would be the biggie, so clearly I know fuck all.
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So sony have it safe for quite a while then, plenty of time for sony to make it the next Studio "Insert Location"
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According to a previous poster they will become Studio Above A Condemned Bathroom Shop In Guildford.
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They kind of already have, Banjo-Kazooie
and some microsoft people would say the gears of war guy as well
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Do you remember the N64?
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I think Sackboy would make a fine Sony mascot, much better than Crash Bandicoot ever was.
/remembers all the old articles saying he was going to be the new Mario or Sonic. Even then, no-one believed that would happen.
Would just like to highlight this from the article, though:
"We have coined 2008 'the year of the PS3', and are confident that with the launch of LittleBigPlanet we will continue to see the momentum build throughout the end of this year and on to the next."
So, that would be 2009, yes? Wouldn't be surprised at all to hear some Sony PR numpty say around Christmas time that by saying "2008 is the year of the PS3", they really meant a financial year, giving them until April '09. Or maybe do some kind of odd Gergorian / Julian calendar maths and say that 2008 is really our 2011. Or something.
/rambling
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Although interested to see what the Kratos outfit looks like on him.
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I hope it turns out great but I won't be buying a PS3 for it.
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Sackboy is so much better than crash... mainly for not going for the "hey! I'm a whacky cartoon animal!" approach...
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Of course 'emblematic' is a word. It's an adjective of 'emblem'. I recommend buying a dictionary...
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[link url=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2160/2735648321_37c3 66006a.jpg
]http://fa rm3.static.flickr.com/2160/2735...[/link]
http://fa rm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2736...
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And he's so cutely awesome.
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A game like this won't be a system seller. Is it for casuals? (pardon the expression)
Is it for the core?( again pardon)
"No", says Sony, "It's for everyone"
The fuck it isn't!
You never know, it could end up the gaming equivalent of youtube.
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This could well be the PS3 saviour imo.
Who said it needs saving? Its selling rather well.
I still can't justify the PS3 money
PS3 is very cheap for the features it comes bundled with.
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"I have found that it's mostly hardcore gamers seem to like the concept for this. As a result, I don't see the "casual" Wii Sports/Guitar Hero/Singstar demographic going for LBP, as it's main selling point is building and sharing - which is neither social nor casual gaming really. It's gonna be time-consuming, geeky and, well... quite hardcore."
I'm expecting that the main draw for the 'casual' players will be that you can download levels made by other players in a nice and seamless UI (a UI which I presume exists, I've never seen it) so you can mooch levels off the 'hardcore' players. This could be awesome, in theory, with huge amounts of free content. Of course, that is if enough people can be arsed to put the time, effort and creativity required to make good levels. Chances are you'll get a whole lot of "this is the first level of Super Mario Kidney Stone Land" (or whatever). They will need a good rating system.
If Spore is anything to go by I'd also be expecting a lot of penis shaped levels.
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As for system seller - possibly? It doesn't matter though as the game itself has already paid off by the truck load in giving Sony great press for the last year or so when it had previously been all doom and gloom.
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"I actually believe Sony on this one. I think LBP is going to be fairly massive. This year's Bioshock in terms of surprise sales, perhaps?"
Well, I doubt it as Bioshock released on PC and 360 and there's a much smaller possible install base for this. I really don't see people flocking to the PS3 for this; I don't see it having mass-market appeal, still, you never know.
For me at least it's a case of "Interesting? Hell yeah! €420 interesting? Naw."
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do you believe the Sony bosses are genuinly happy with the market share they currently have?
By "justifyng the money for a PS3" I meant that I already have a games machine in the 360 (also got a wii which is great at collecting dust). I'm only interested in games, and as yet the PS3 hasn't offered a lot more (if any) than the 360 has.
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Bare in mind that sony counts all its current platforms in market share terms so technically they are leading.... (thanks to the PS2)
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I agree with Steroyd, too, that this could be like YouTube - most people just leech off the creators, maybe after a few months having a bash themeselves, but everyone has a good time.
I don't think this game will be a system seller to most, but I definitely believe it will help to push a lot of people over the edge - I know it has to me. That and my splurging on HD DVDs has made me hungry for more hi-def content, which really only Blu-Ray will provide.
/annoyed that Sony's trojan horse has worked on me of all people. But I'll get over it, I'm sure.
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do you believe the Sony bosses are genuinly happy with the market share they currently have?
I would do, yes.
[link url=http://vgchart z.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=PS®1=All&cons2=PS2®2=All&cons 3=PS3®3=All&weeks=156
]http://vg chartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=P...[/link]
Its not far from the PS2 sales. Definetely doesn't need saving, which was my original point.
also got a wii which is great at collecting dust
Snap.
I'm only interested in games, and as yet the PS3 hasn't offered a lot more (if any) than the 360 has.
Fair enough.
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So in the immortal words of dragons den...I'm out.
Now when is bloomin' Ratchet quest for booty gonna show up....
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Sold!
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so the character looks cute and places well then?
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Erm.... That just sounds wrong, like Sony is trying to pick Sackboy up on Bebo or something.
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Its essentially a straight 2d platformer with a level and character editor,yes?
or am I missing the point?
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Not being obsessed by cock I intend to make a LBP level modelled after a woman's sexual organs instead. Let's hear it for variety!
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Sony should ditch Home, build a new version that lets you import your Sackboy, and use that as their avatar.
I still remain unconvinced that this will sell hardware though. I'm looking forward to it - and can't wait to see my son playing it - but I already own a PS3. How many potential buyers will be convinced by this? Unknown.
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And I agree that a world full of loads of different sack boys would be way cooler then Home.
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Its essentially a straight 2d platformer with a level and character editor,yes?
or am I missing the point"
Hmmm.. it is more like a physics platform game. The big question is still... can you actually build levels with the game that reach the same level of gameplay as classic 2D platformers (like Mario for example). Jury is still open on that one. If it does that, it can very well be a hit. If it is just a "mess around with some objects" type thing... I don't think it will catch on. And yes... platform construction kits have been done before and never really managed to do anything so the LBP devs have their work cut out.
"Sony should ditch Home, build a new version that lets you import your Sackboy, and use that as their avatar. "
Hmmm.. maybe Home should have been LBP
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Yes and we're still chuckling about it.
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Look at the art people can produce just using Forza / Forza 2's very limited systems. Imagine what they could achieve with LBP!
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Same level but different type of gameplay I think. The physics element adds a hell of a lot which you don't get with normal platformers, though also taking away a some of the predictability which is of use.
All the levels delivered in the game could have been done with the toolkit - which is a great plus point. There are already a number of surprising levels beta testers have come up with and that is one of the elements which distinguishes this from other games with construction kits. The other element is the integration of the share aspect. A much bigger audience for your work will help attract the right people.
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But what do i know if I consider Valkyria Chronicles as system seller for me
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Yeah I know... but the very best platformers usually are hand crafted masterpieces so I am still skeptical about any construction kit. Then again Linerider was ace and LBP reminds me of that but with more interaction.
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not slagging it or Sony off here - I'm just not sure it's the behemoth Sony are desperately wishing it will be.
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Come to think of it, maybe that's what Sackboy could be good for? Recreating the classic platformers of yesteryear... imagine a sackboy Impossible Mission, a sackboy Monty Mole and a sackboy Mario. If the users create and upload the content then there won't be anything to stop it from happening.
Hold on, have I actually just talked myself into finally seeing a reason to get a PS3? I reckon they might finally have a sale once the christmas price drop rolls around. £150 and I'm in Sony!
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You beat me to it. I think this would trump both Miis and Avatars. I'd love my avatar to be a sack toy of my creation. Sure, you could keep the 3D environment of Home, but style it like LBP. They could call it Little Big Home, and the public space would be Home Planet
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"You never know, it could end up the gaming equivalent of youtube."
To be fair, everybody has an internet connection. Everybody does not have a PS3, and would have to spend a signigficant amount of money to get this new equivalent. Not gonna happen...
For this to be the equivalent of youtube, it will have to be advertised beyond belief, but hey, if it happens, I'll buy you a beer at the airport.
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The potential for user-created Retro platformers is of course great.
Oh, and as for Rick Dangerous!
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i think so. i would guess that the people buying a PS3 for this would've done some research and realized that not long after they'll have Resistance 2 Killzone 2 God of war 3 M.A.G and others. not to mention a handful of decent games available now, and for cheap too.
as for the game itself, this is right up my ally. since i don't have the time to learn how to code for mods or learn XNA, this will suit me fine. make whole games, levels, 'Rube Goldberg' style chat rooms, movies etc.
and i find it hard to believe that pro designers won't want to make levels or whole games within the game. the Braid guy, the PixelJunk team, Insomniac, Naughty Dog and others. how could it fail.
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Especially if user created levels and items can be sold a la second life.
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ahem
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Ancient Japanese History / THE POWER OF THE CELL / five-hundred-and-ninety-nine US Dollars etc etc
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My nine year old daughter asks me all the time if LBP is out yet... she really wants to play this. She loved Viva Piniata when that came out and now she's hyped for this. I think it could sell a few systems, especially when you look at all the other exclusive stuff out for PS3 now... such as the Rachets, MGS4, GT5 etc. and all the cool PSN stuff.
Sony IMO are all over MS now, not only do they have lots good exclusives they are also ahead of the game in terms of the casual stuff with Singstar and Buzz and the Eytoy stuff. PS2 is still strong and PSP is gaining momentum too.... Sony as a brand is IMO very very strong and games like LBP will appeal to a lot of people wanting something other than another Gears this Christmas.
Microsoft have a pretty good system but it's starting to look a little bit tired now and they've failed to spruce up 360 image... Avatars and Lips and all that are an attempt but it's still doesn't quite look right... a bit cheap and not quite right somehow.
With a good advertising campaign i think Sony are right... LBP (along with everything else) will probably sell consoles.
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I think Liverpool are doing WipeoutHD, Cambridge are fudging PlayTV and I'm not sure about London.
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O.o
anyway... screw Sackboy. They should recruit 'Blig-Merk'...
what? they did already?
mkay.
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I think EG did that on purpose
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You sure about that?
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And he is Kinda Cute isant he! "
I only have one thought every time I see him:
Wiping my arse with him
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Being a mascot doesn't have to mean being put front and centre all the time. It just needs to be a character associated with the platform. Mario is still that and Master Chief is for MS.
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I'm going to make one, just in anticipation.
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