Sony confirms LittleBigPlanet 3 shutdown, months after it was ‘temporarily’ taken offline

Sony has indefinitely shuttered the online servers for PlayStation 4 platformer LittleBigPlanet 3, months after it claimed it “temporarily” took the game offline while it resolved technical issues.

“Due to ongoing technical issues which resulted in the LittleBigPlanet 3 servers for PS4 being taken offline temporarily in January 2024, the decision has been made to keep the servers offline indefinitely,” reads an update on the LBP X account.

“All online services including access to other players’ creations for LittleBigPlanet 3 are no longer available.”

The account notes that all user generated content stored locally will remain available, but it will be unable to be shared.

However, the surprise shutdown means that many user creations are now inaccessible, and possibly lost forever – as many in the community had feared.

“I’m concerned that Sony deciding to pull the plug on the servers very soon is a real possibility,” wrote one Reddit user in January. “Nearly 16 years worth of user generated content, millions of levels, some with millions of plays and hearts. Absolutely iconic levels locked away forever with no way to experience them again.”

The shutdown follows recent confirmation that Media Molecule’s curation team has been let go as part of previously announced layoffs.

The Sony-owned Dreams and LittleBigPlanet studio said last October that it was entering a consultation process for team members in certain departments.

Media Molecule discontinued most live support for Dreams last September after shifting its focus to a new project, but it had continued to offer curation services in-game, as well as online through various channels including The Impsider, which will no longer be supported.