PlayStation has removed beloved platforming mascot Sackboy from the cast of characters featured in its movies intro, leading some fans to fear for the future of LittleBigPlanet.
As spotted by X userRadec, thePlayStationProductions intro for the recent Until Dawn movie has removed Sackboy from its cast of characters, compared to previous stings featured before movies like 2023’sGran Turismo, which included the character.
Sony’s PlayStation Studios intro included at the start of itsPS5games are bespoke for each game, usually featuring characters from each game’s specific series. However, PlayStation Productions’ intro has always included a cast of characters from across PlayStation’s first-party games, seemingly representing their importance to the gaming brand.
Unsurprisingly, then, many fans view the Until Dawn omission as another sign that LittleBigPlanet’s importance could be on the wane at PlayStation – especially with another platformer,Astro Bot, nowsweeping the Game of the Year awardsandmore frequently appearing as PlayStation’s mascotat public events.
“It’s like seeing a family member getting cut out of the picture,” wrote one X user. “It’s very sad to see sackboy just full on getting removed and I don’t like that.” Another added: “Why can’t Astro and Sackboy coexist… they’d be besties.”
Sony indefinitelyshut the online servers for LittleBigPlanet 3last year, months after it claimed it had “temporarily” taken the game offline while it resolved technical issues. Later the same year, it announced thatLittleBigPlanet 3 and LittleBigPlanet DLC were being removed from the PlayStation Store.
Sony-owned LBP creatorMedia Moleculewrote onXat the time: “LittleBigPlanet shaped us as a studio & remains an important part of who we are. We are & always will be forever grateful for it & the incredible community it has inspired.”
Guildford, UK-based Media Molecule has undergone significant restructuring over the last couple of years, resulting in anunspecified number of layoffsand thediscontinuation of live supportfor its most recent release, thePS4titleDreams.
It’s currentlyworking on a new IPbeing overseen by John Beech, who wasappointed as studio creative directorin 2023. He stepped up from the position of lead designer to take on the role previously held by Media Molecule co-founderMark Healey,who left the company the same year.
