LittleBigPlanet (Series) | All Content Delisted on Oct. 31

[Moonface]

The only downside is the levels that simply don't function in LBP3. I don't know if you recall @ShiraNoMai when I played a level that was pirate themed and it tanked the frame rate down to below 10fps, despite the level being from LBP1 and functioning without that fps drop on a PS3. That's just a testament to the issues that plague LBP3 and now that it's the only way to play online, Sumo should really patch the game up. Apparently the servers were attacked in the first place because the person responsible was upset with how Sony were handling the LBP IP (similar to the attacks happening to Titanfall 2's servers) and although they scored an own goal with the outcome of the servers, I hope that leaving LBP3's issues unresolved doesn't cause further upset that pushes someone to drastic actions again.

[Oblivion Knight]

I don't know why, but I don't feel I've been able to fully embrace LBP.. I've played it in patches and have quite enjoyed it, but it quickly goes back into the pile and collects dust for another 6 months or so.

Thankfully I'd already got all of the multiplayer trophies done in the first game before the servers went down.. It seems like a bit of a shame that I won't get to experience LBP2 since many feel it's the best one, but I'm also hearing good things about Sackboy so perhaps all is not lost.

..and if that rumour about the servers being attacked as some kind of protest about the handling of the IP is accurate, there's really no hope!

[Moonface]

LBP2 definitely has the best single player mode, which the servers won't affect except for playing it online with others, but I don't know if you'd even find anyone playing the campaign these days even if the server was up since the game is so old.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is very good and worth checking out if you like platformers.

[Moonface]

LittleBigPlanet Servers Will Remain Offline Indefinitely

Ugh, what an utterly awful way for this series to go. The servers have been suffering with problems for a few years now due to hackers, and I guess they finally found a way to do enough damage to stop the servers being put back online. That means every single user created level ever made across LBP1, LBP2, and LBP3 is now inaccessible except for anything that gets scraped and put onto the private servers that exist for emulated or jailbroken versions of the game.

Between this and Mario Maker, I hope game companies just abandon the whole UGC genre. The only platform it works with is PC because most games that do it on there make user generated content exist as downloads rather than content locked onto official game servers, so it's far less likely for all that stuff to just disappear in one go like it does for console games. I definitely can't see a UGC genre game succeeding on consoles again in the wake of this because why would anyone bother to invest their time and effort into making something that gets held hostage on official servers and unceremoniously nuked when the end comes?

[ShiraNoMai]

Yeah unfortunately, leaving servers in uncertain hands leaves any UGC-type game in permanent limbo status; just always at the mercy of their hosters. Things like Minecraft have the benefit of a self-host, which is still at the mercy of a server owner, but if you yourself can be such an owner, then its existence lies solely on your ability to upkeep it. Unfortunately for companies like MM or Nintendo, there's a cost-benefit to maintaining and even just keeping them up in the first place while 1) user-base is practically zero and/or 2) maintaining/safeguarding actively is just not worth the hassle it involves.

[Moonface]

Things like Minecraft have the benefit of a self-host, which is still at the mercy of a server owner, but if you yourself can be such an owner, then its existence lies solely on your ability to upkeep it.

In most cases, custom Minecraft maps are made and then uploaded by the creator to sites like Planet Minecraft and such. Most creators would hopefully be uploading their content to multiple places so if one somehow goes down, their uploaded content isn't lost or resting on them keeping a copy of the save and re-uploading it.
For creative servers, in my experience the ones I've played on will provide a world download when the current world is retired and a fresh one is made to keep the map/file size down. Groups like HermitCraft will also put up a download of a world when its respective season ends, and I believe one time older world downloads for that group were lost but fortunately so many people had downloaded them that there were people in that community who had copies to provide.

Now that I think about it, the only LBP community levels that were preserved at all would be whatever ones were bundled into the GotY edition of LBP1. Sadly, that only amounts to a measly 18 levels when at the time of that release, there were already over 1 million levels uploaded.

[Moonface]

LittleBigPlanet 3 and All DLC Will be Delisted on October 31
The official LittleBigPlanet Twitter account has announced that LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4) and all LittleBigPlanet DLC will be removed from the PlayStation Store on October 31.

Last Chance to Purchase LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4) and LittleBig Planet DLC from the PlayStation Store

After 10 years of playing, creating and sharing content in LittleBigPlanet 3, the game and our entire range of LittleBigPlanet DLC will be removed from the PlayStation Store on October 31st 2024.

Anyone that currently owns or purchases LittleBigPlanet 3 or any LittleBigPlanet DLC before it is delisted for sale, will still be able to access their purchased games and content after its removal.

This is a friendly heads-up that if anyone in the community or any newcomers still wish to own a digital copy of LittleBigPlanet 3 or any LittleBigPlanet DLC currently available for purchase - This is your last chance to do so!

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

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I wondered if the first two games had already been delisted from the PS Store since this announcement only concerns LBP3, and turns out they got removed years ago which I never knew about. I'm guessing the removal is due to licensed music that's in the game because I don't see what else would warrant doing it. Although the DLC wouldn't fall into that category but I suppose if the game can't be bought anymore there's not much point to keep the DLC for it up too.

Stuff like this makes me glad I buy physical copies just so I know I always have access to my game. I know you can still download stuff that got delisted but I always wonder how long will any store front keep the files hosted for content that can't be purchased anymore.

[queenzelda]

I guess it's a good thing I own all the LBP series physically so I can play it when ever. I also can play it on my PS3, just need to make sure my controller for it is charged. xp

[Moonface]

I guess it's a good thing I own all the LBP series physically so I can play it when ever. I also can play it on my PS3, just  need to make sure my controller for it is charged. xp

LBP3 is the only one I don't think I have a physical copy for, but I also think it's the weakest entry and would sooner replay one of the first two games.

There's a lot of free DLC packs on the PS Store too, which I'd recommend grabbing before the end of the month because at least if someday that content was no longer available to even download you won't have lost any money on it.
Also looking through it I might grab the LBP3 Story DLC before it goes away. I'd recommend the LBP2 Move Pack DLC but if you lack a PS Move controller you can't play it, which sucks because the levels that DLC included were phenomenal. Most level packs were delisted a long time ago though when the license with Disney expired which took a lot of DLC with it, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean level pack and Muppets level pack. I owned the former and really loved it back at the time, and I imagine it was one of the best selling DLC's for this entire franchise since it was the only way to have water in your levels in LBP1. If nothing else it was definitely the level pack that revolutionized the series because water was used far more in community levels than any other new feature that other DLC's brought with them.