Media Molecule talks up DLC, shoots down LittleBigPlanet sequel
Twelve months, one million community levels, and a PSP spin-off later, some are wondering if it's time for Media Molecule to begin working on an honest-to-goodness sequel to PS3 platformer LittleBigPlanet. The answer seems to be a very clear no. "We'd never want to do that," level designer told Danny Leaver told Critical Gamer. "That'd be the most counterproductive thing you could do I think."
Certainly, the release of a sequel would splinter one of PlayStation's most dedicated online communities. Would user-created levels be compatible with a future game? Would DLC costumes carry across into a new title? These questions, thankfully, won't need to be addressed. Instead, Media Molecule plans on supporting LBP with additional downloadable content. "I think what you've seen so far from LittleBigPlanet, that's the way it's going to continue." said producer Martin Lynagh. We already know of two major patches: water and support for the PlayStation Motion Controller. However, Lynagh explains that there's much more to expect, especially in 2010. "We have a lot of stuff coming out, especially next year. We can't really talk about specifics for a lot of it at the moment, because a lot of it hasn't been announced."
One of Media Molecule's unannounced expansions may be similar in execution to the Metal Gear Solid pack from earlier this year. "We're looking forward to some really good original content, and some really strong brands we're working with," Lynagh teased.
Certainly, the release of a sequel would splinter one of PlayStation's most dedicated online communities. Would user-created levels be compatible with a future game? Would DLC costumes carry across into a new title? These questions, thankfully, won't need to be addressed. Instead, Media Molecule plans on supporting LBP with additional downloadable content. "I think what you've seen so far from LittleBigPlanet, that's the way it's going to continue." said producer Martin Lynagh. We already know of two major patches: water and support for the PlayStation Motion Controller. However, Lynagh explains that there's much more to expect, especially in 2010. "We have a lot of stuff coming out, especially next year. We can't really talk about specifics for a lot of it at the moment, because a lot of it hasn't been announced."
One of Media Molecule's unannounced expansions may be similar in execution to the Metal Gear Solid pack from earlier this year. "We're looking forward to some really good original content, and some really strong brands we're working with," Lynagh teased.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Archon (PSN: Archonik, XBL: DarkARHN) @ Nov 5th 2009 1:30PM
Still waiting for that announced Final Fantasy VII costume pack...
What are you waiting for MM? FFVII Remake announcement?
Viking @ Nov 5th 2009 1:40PM
I think you're onto something here...
I want to believe. But only if it's PS3 exclusive of course, anything else would make the earth shatter into a thousand pieces, spreading across the universe, waving to Sephiroth when he destroys the solar system for the umph' time.
Also: Pancakes
Chillski @ Nov 5th 2009 3:03PM
my guess is the ac2 will probably there next big "expansion pack", like they did with mgs4. it would be pretty sweet doing little mini-assassin missions, lol.
Extinction @ Nov 5th 2009 4:45PM
I too want Sackiroth
So, these guys are smarter/better than Valve at least
Bagels (@AlsoBagels) @ Nov 5th 2009 6:03PM
@Viking: http://alsobagels.com
Stop stealin' mah comic naming convention!
gordo @ Nov 5th 2009 1:31PM
Well if they transferred all the data to the sequel it would work, but the continuous DLC blurs the line between sequel and expansions anyway.
Its like a never ending sequel.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Nov 5th 2009 1:59PM
you mean like ALL the Guitar Heroes? and Rock Bands? and soon to be Band Heroes?
gordo @ Nov 5th 2009 2:03PM
You forgot LEGO Spore Band Heroes
The Commenter Formerly Known as (kbomb1upc) @ Nov 5th 2009 1:37PM
I really hope this game can stand the tests of time. This will really show all the Big Companies (EA, Activision and Ubisoft) that you don't have to release a sequel every year. If you make a good enough product with enough support (DLC) people will continue to play it and love it. I can't wait for Mod Racers and hope we can get the same level of commitment.
WREturns [Planeteer I Power of The Final Countdown] @ Nov 5th 2009 1:38PM
I will never trade this game in.
Kleptomaniac @ Nov 5th 2009 1:42PM
Well you see they don't really have a magic button that says "Put water in game".
Thats not how game engines work:P
sony boy (6 years til sony man child!) @ Nov 5th 2009 1:45PM
that's it, let all the hate spill like a glass of water...
Jonathan King @ Nov 5th 2009 1:47PM
So it's been almost a year since the Metal Gear expansion because I played it Christmas morning...so I think it's about time for another. And as far as a sequel I fully support the DLC keep it coming....P.S. ONLINE CREATE PLZ!!!!!
onesidezero1985 @ Nov 5th 2009 1:48PM
I would love for more developers to take this approach of seeing their games as more of a "platform" than just a product that needs a sequel cranked out every 1 or 2 years. I think Harmonix sort of led the charge with Rock Band and I applaud both them and Media Molecule for it.
Vcize @ Nov 5th 2009 2:30PM
You mean with the way they released Rock Band 2 a year after Rock Band 1 came out?
onesidezero1985 @ Nov 5th 2009 2:48PM
I figured someone would bring that up, and that's a good point, but what I mean is the way you could import the majority of RB 1 tracks into RB 2 and since the release of RB 2 they have consistantly provided a quality selection of songs every week instead of releasing $60.00 retail discs. RB 2 has been out for 2 years now and is still my music game of choice because all the great tracks that I like to play have been mainly chosen by me by purchasing them off the amazing RB Store and I can have access to all of them through one disc.
breaklaw @ Nov 5th 2009 1:51PM
Still never picked this up yet, did it live to the hype? I figure it must have because of all the DLC and crossovers. Is it still fun if you don't want to make your own levels?
Porker @ Nov 5th 2009 1:54PM
A resounding 'yes' to both your questions, breaklaw.
gordo @ Nov 5th 2009 2:01PM
And not only that, this game got my wife into the PS3.
For that I am ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.
zanmushi @ Nov 5th 2009 2:14PM
I would say no. I was very excited for this game, and was very disappointed - mainly because of the "floaty" controls, and lag experienced in multi player. This game was over hyped :(
Temidien @ Nov 5th 2009 2:24PM
I was disappointed initially as well because of the hype. What I failed to realize was that the game doesn't actually become worth purchasing until you have a buddy or two playing with you. Once I rectified that mistake, it became one of my favorite games this generation.
Traceur_Ryuk [Founder of The Anti-EMCB(tm) Brigade] (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Nov 5th 2009 4:10PM
You don't need more than one person to enjoy the game, I prefer to play alone, actually. And it's one of my favorite games this gen.
zanmushi @ Nov 6th 2009 9:55AM
I love how people with different opinions get down voted here. Poor angry teenagers :)
ZildjianKX @ Nov 5th 2009 1:53PM
I'm still not very happy that they decided to double-dip this game with a GOTY edition with content you can't download... pretty lame on their part.
I'm also really surprised by how few official level packs have been released... I think they blew some really good potential there.
Anyways, I sold mine after the GOTY edition hit. Maybe I'll pick it back up once GOTY is in the bargain bin for $20.
Rirath @ Nov 5th 2009 3:04PM
I have the GOTY edition since I didn't join the PS3 crowd until the slim, but you could have simply played the GOTY levels through people's hearted lists easily enough, from what I hear.
Dafrety @ Nov 5th 2009 5:16PM
I have the GOTY edition. I thought the only extra stuff was some content packs and some user created levels? The content packs you can just buy already. I haven't looked for the levels, but I'm sure you can search for them.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Nov 5th 2009 1:57PM
considering the water is Physics oriented and it has to take MILLIONS of calculations into account because its not just a fucking filter or screen overlay means that its going to take time....
DamonTheMoney @ Nov 5th 2009 1:58PM
I'm not worried about there not being a sequel. They're adding big new content to it, so a sequel would be a pointless endeavour (just like Madden).
I will always come back to LBP, such a fun game! :-)
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Nov 5th 2009 1:58PM
with a game such as LBP it possible to do that. AS it never TRULY gets old....I wonder if ModNation Racers will be the same way
The Commenter Formerly Known as (kbomb1upc) @ Nov 5th 2009 5:10PM
Man, I ask the same thing... I'm not that big on platformers but I do love kart racers. I've never owned a 64, GameCube or a Wii but everytime I went over someone's house that did, I use to play the crap out of Mario Kart. If Mod Racer can deliever on the same lines of LittleBigPlanet, it would be crazy... Like Mario Kart on crack...
cubert @ Nov 5th 2009 1:58PM
I never liked the idea of a sequel for LBP anyway. I want to think of LBP as THE LBP but not the original and then its sequel.
gatotsu911 @ Nov 5th 2009 2:05PM
Well, good for them. It's about time a developer made a good game and supported it without the intention of just throwing out a sequel as soon as it's profitable. That's called integrity, and treating your fans right. I think some developers (*cough*VALVE*hack*) could certainly stand to learn from this.
Rirath @ Nov 5th 2009 3:05PM
MM and LBP are one of the few examples I can really point to and say "This is DLC done right". This news is wonderful to me.
Fane [Grammar Police - Power Of Pedantry] @ Nov 6th 2009 5:46PM
Criterion beat them to it.
aznjohnny @ Nov 5th 2009 2:09PM
Did anybody else other than me not like this game? I gave it a try and played it for a whole day before I thought this wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. I really wanted to like this game, but it just wasn't for me.
zanmushi @ Nov 5th 2009 2:14PM
agree
Moris @ Nov 5th 2009 2:27PM
It's not for everyone ;) that being said i love it :)
Ashitaka @ Nov 5th 2009 3:53PM
Play it with friends and you'll see ;)
Traceur_Ryuk [Founder of The Anti-EMCB(tm) Brigade] (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Nov 5th 2009 4:08PM
"It's not for everyone"
Yes it is.
aznjohnny @ Nov 5th 2009 5:27PM
lame you guys are a bunch of pansies. I just stated I didn't like the game and you commented me down. I wasn't even being condescending about it. I just stated my opinion that I didn't think the game was all that some of you make it out to be. Just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't make them wrong, it just makes them different. Some of you guys are such tools.
Traceur_Ryuk [Founder of The Anti-EMCB(tm) Brigade] (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Nov 5th 2009 6:32PM
"Just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't make them wrong"
Exactly, downvoting you was people disagreeing with you. You're such a tool.
JACK @ Nov 6th 2009 2:47AM
"lame you guys are a bunch of pansies."
I think you're the pansy cus who complains over a down-vote? I mean seriously did you get mad ? just let it go and get over it johnny not every one agrees with you, that's just life.
petey @ Nov 5th 2009 2:10PM
Wow - my favorite game will "continue to be supported" with such awesome stuff as YET MORE COSTUMES and STICKERS.
How about some levels, people? Sheesh.
RogerFH @ Nov 5th 2009 2:18PM
FLAME ON!
Ashitaka @ Nov 5th 2009 4:59PM
CREATE SHARE PLAY
JACK @ Nov 6th 2009 2:51AM
My guess is he doesn't know or didn't bother reading the article...
here let me quote a little ..."Twelve months, one million community levels,"
What other game does that? I mean seriously, some people out there are genius, ordinary people just like M.M staff, that can pull off some of the craziest levels. More than 50% of the million levels are great if not amazing. If you can do math that's a lot, read more, that is all.
advil @ Nov 5th 2009 2:12PM
Yay, more costumes in 2010. FAIL
They need a WHOLE DISC worth of more levels... Update the main game to allow you to pop out the disc and pop in a level pack, and away you go for hours more.... ala Sing Star.
Some of us don't want to dirty up our HDD's with Gigs and Gigs of "extras" that sit idle for 95% of the time.
LBP is one of my favourite games this Gen, but I haven't played it in +6 months. Too difficult to find good levels to play online, and when you do, it takes too long to load them.
prodigy69 @ Nov 5th 2009 3:04PM
I'd like to see something like this, I think that once they iron out all the online create and water stuff , they'd start working on this :)
fingers crossed
Rirath @ Nov 5th 2009 3:08PM
It's really not very difficult at all to find good levels. Many community sites have bi-weekly lists of great levels, and of course there are built in tools such as "most hearted" and the "cool levels" page.
Tycho @ Nov 5th 2009 2:25PM
Agreed. They've totally missed out on a lot of potential long term customers because of the lack of any REAL expansion style DLC. I know many people who sold their copy because they expected actual content to be coming down the pipe but never got it.
I haven't bought any of the DLC/costumes. Because, well, I don't want more costumes. I've had it since launch and I've been waiting for a new original set of levels (more than the few that the MGS stuff added). I also don't care if it's licensed, I just want content. I'm borderline on trading it in. I just don't care to wait anymore.
Attempts at finding levels online was fruitless and less than fun. It's all disjointed. I tend to play a lot of the time 'offline'. I want a series of levels, strung together, in the same style and of at least some respectable length. As well, new level building stuff doesn't interest me as I don't have the time to create levels for myself. There's a job and personal life to deal with.