Alt text: A promotional image for LittleBigPlanet 3 showing Sackboy and another character interacting with green yarn.
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced on Tuesday that the 2014 platformer LittleBigPlanet 3 and all its associated downloadable content (DLC) will be delisted from the PlayStation Store by the end of October. Players have just a few weeks left to purchase the game digitally before it’s gone.
Last Chance to Grab LittleBigPlanet 3 Digitally
The official X (formerly Twitter) account for LittleBigPlanet shared the news, stating that the PlayStation 4 version of the nearly decade-old game will be removed from the PlayStation Store on October 31st. Players who already own the game, including those who acquired it through PlayStation Plus in 2017, will still be able to access it after the delisting date. The announcement urged community members and newcomers to purchase the game and any desired DLC before the deadline.
Server Issues and PlayStation Plus Removal Preceded Delisting
This announcement follows the discovery by Eurogamer in September that LittleBigPlanet 3 would be leaving PlayStation Plus, despite being a first-party title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game’s removal from the subscription service foreshadowed its eventual delisting.
Technical Issues and DDoS Attacks Plagued LittleBigPlanet 3
LittleBigPlanet 3 faced challenges upon its 2014 release, receiving mixed reviews and encountering numerous technical issues. Despite this, players continued to utilize the online servers to share characters, levels, and decorations. However, in 2021, most of the servers were permanently shut down due to a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Only PlayStation 4 users retained access to online functionality and user-generated content uploaded to those specific servers. Content stored locally remained accessible, but potentially millions of user-created levels were lost.
Ongoing Technical Issues Led to Server Shutdown
Earlier this year, the remaining PlayStation 4 servers for LittleBigPlanet 3 were taken down indefinitely due to persistent technical problems, including issues stemming from malicious mods. Given the significant role user-generated content plays in the game’s appeal, the official delisting was anticipated.
Sackboy Lives On in Sackboy: A Big Adventure
For those seeking more Sackboy adventures without the complexities of user-generated content, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, a 3D platformer and co-op spinoff, is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. This 2020 release offers an alternative way to experience the LittleBigPlanet universe.
