LittleBigPlanet has been somewhat of a successful series for Sony and they have just unveiled their newest title in the series, LittleBigPlanet 3, for the PS3 and PS4. From October 2008 to January 2013 8 million user generated levels were created and published [1]. I am proudly a creator of two of those 8 million levels even though those levels were nothing compared to some of the amazing creations the community has done [2]. LittleBigPlanet as a series was well received with 1 and 2 getting above a 90 on metacritic [3][4] while the portable systems achieved a respectable 87 and 88 on metacritic [5][6]. The series is all about creating and sharing which was made possible by selling over, with five instalments, 12 million [7]. I know I was expecting it to be a lot more and I know the source isn’t the most reliable but LittleBigPlanet is being hampered by a problem the series should have got shacked years ago. That problem is the $60 rrp.
Like I just mentioned, LittleBigPlanet has always been about creating and sharing levels and that has generated a small core but creative community. Publishing 8 million levels is not a small feat and we shouldn’t sniff at this achievement lightly but LittleBigPlanet still only appeals to a small core. Looking closely at the sales figures shows a drop in users who bought LittleBigPlanet 2 from LittleBigPlanet 1 [7]. The difference isn’t huge but nor is it encouraging for a series that thrives in community involvement. As previously stated, I feel the problem lies in Sony charging $60 for a game we essentially build ourselves. This is not coming from a long standing critic of the series but from a long-time fan that has played all (barring the PSP versions) LittleBigPlanet games. I was not so long ago I even gave LittleBigPlanet Vita a 9.2/10 claiming it to be the best LittleBigPlanet game ever made[8] but even I must admit that Sony is charging way too much for what the game is.
Free to play is the way forward for this series. Look, before you start smoothing yourself in garlic and sharpening your flaming pitchforks I understand that free to play doesn’t always mean quality. Thanks to the mobile market, free to play has become this dirty work in the video game industry and is notorious with money draining game design. The idea of play to win and free to play are disgracefully linked with one and other. I am struggling to think of many games that have done free to play well except for LittleBigPlanet. The entire game design is built like a free to play game except we face an upfront charge.
Sony in 2013 revealed LittleBigPlanet hub for PS3 [9] which allows people to access LittleBigPlanet 1 and 2 for free. Sadly there hasn’t been much news, since the reveal, regarding this service but it was a positive step in the right direction as LittleBigPlanet offers countless costume, environment and other cosmetic packs for a small fee. Currently there are 463 different packs [10] available for the series and Sony charges a small fee per item (dependent on pack type).That right there is the bases for a free to play model.
I mentioned earlier that the series has sold adequately and that sales from LittleBigPlanet 1 to 2 dropped ever so slightly [7]. Now imagine if Sony put a LittleBigPlanet hub icon on the PS3/PS4 toolbar/XMB bar and think how many users may try it. Currently the PS4 has sold 10 million units [11] and the PS3 is sitting pretty at just over 80 million [12]. Of course there is an overlap and some PS3 units may not be used anymore but that is an impressive number that is only going to grow over time.
I feel Sony is pushing LittleBigPlanet 3 into obscurity by have an initial asking price for a game built upon community driven content. LittleBigPlanet has a large range of cosmetic packs which are clearly making a lot of money since they have brought out 463 different packs/items [10]. With LittleBigPlanet 3 launching in November [13], which is a busy period as some big franchises are releasing in the same quarter, I feel it may be overlooked as it does require a steep entry price. Sony best bet is to take a risk, not be greedy and fully make what the LittleBigPlanet series was born to do. Make LittleBigPlanet 3 a community driven free to play game for everyone to flex their creative muscles. It could cement this lovable franchise in the hearts of many.
Sources
[1] http://blog.us.playstation....
[2] http://www.officialplaystat...
[3] http://www.metacritic.com/g...
[4] http://www.metacritic.com/g...
[5] http://www.metacritic.com/g...
[6] http://www.metacritic.com/g...
[7] http://www.vgchartz.com/gam...
[8] http://n4g.com/channel/Litt...
[9] http://LittleBigPlanet.play...
[10] http://LittleBigPlanet.play...
[11] http://arstechnica.com/gami...
[12] http://www.vgchartz.com/emb...
[13] http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...
CCG writes - "Despite my complaints about the music, graphics, and inspection mechanics, I had a lot of fun with Pawnbroker Simulator. It scratches the itch of running a store and making money buying and selling all sorts of interesting things. While I personally prefer the mechanics available in something like Supermarket Simulator more, I still think Pawnbroker Simulator has a lot of good going for it. The game is still being actively worked on, with console ports also on the way. If store management simulator games are something you enjoy, there's enough different here from the competition to make it worth your while."
The Outerhaven writes: A hands-on preview for Supermassive Games' latest horror adventure, Directive 8020. The preview left me feeling both excited to play more and apprehensive about its launch.
Really loved the preview, and enjoyed seeing what you had to say about it as well!
On another note, the article mentions posting the video once you are allowed to—were you given a different embargo date for it? We were simply told the article and video footage were restricted until 8:00 AM Central Time.
Microsoft has replaced the logo for every Xbox console generation with the new design on its official website.
I love the LBP franchise....I just don't think it's gotten the ad push it needs.
Great tool for learning and building. Reminds me of a more fun version of Alice for kids, etc. My little sister actually made me a LBPK course for her birthday :P :)
I think LBP has made more money then what we think. I have bought tons of dlc for my son at like 1-4$ a pop and have seen that many others have as well. I think this model works for them, however i understand your point as well. A f2p version would definitely bring more ppl into the fold and stimulate growth and make them money, im just not so sure itll pay off more than their model now.
I see your point, but ehh. I disagree. Minecraft shows people are still willing to pay money for games about creating your own levels. Sure, it's $60 vs $20, but I think people will still pay that amount for a game like LBP, even though popularity of the series has gone way down since the LBP1. It's going to be a cute family game during the holiday shopping season, and I have no doubt it will do well on PS4. Look at Mario Maker for the Wii U. If that's going to be at retail for full price, then why can't LBP3 be?
As for the hundreds of costumes DLC... That's just cosmetics. And if you've been playing since LBP1, and any costumes you bought, you'll have access to them again in LBP3. They serve no gameplay purposes other than to show off you're willing to spend money to play as your favorite characters from other media in Sackboy/girl form. And even then, the games already have enough original costumes within the games that you're sure to at least like a few.
"As previously stated, I feel the problem lies in Sony charging $60 for a game we essentially build ourselves." - Hello? Minecraft? Mario Maker?
Also it costs a lot to do what Little Big Planet does, it has a large selection of levels with all of them using different assets and obviously the creator mode. Do you know how hard it is to create a creator mode? It's essentially creating a simplified games engine within a games engine, which would be harder than simply making the games story mode itself. There's enough content to warrant full price here, don't be so stupid.
All those levels and 98% are crap uploaded to get a trophy.