'Ambitious' LittleBigPlanet 2 Needs More Time, Delayed To January 2011

Media Molecule says it won't be able to stick to its November 2010 launch date for LittleBigPlanet 2, and will instead release the game in January 2011. The studio said in a statement it needs more polish time for its "ambitious" project. "LittleBigPlanet 2 is a crazy dream, a dream to allow players to make whatever kind of game they want, but also to play though a great adventure of drama and excitement, power-ups, and cinematics," says the studio. "But like all of the most ambitious ideas, it can be a considerable challenge to turn these dreams into fun games," the statement continues. "We’ve all been working like powered-up space ninjas and we’re almost there, but because we love what we’ve made, and we love our little sack-friends, and most of all we love all our fans out there, we couldn’t let you all get together until we knew we were giving you the best experience imaginable." Specifically, Media Molecule had planned on a November 16 launch in the U.S., and the "disappointed" studio calls the delay a "hard decision". But the studio faces a unique challenge in topping 2008's original LBP, which achieved widespread critical acclaim, and sold over 4.5 million units to date, catalyzing Sony's formal acquisition of the studio. The game released first on PlayStation 3 and later received a PSP release. And as its gameplay relies on user-created content -- users have built more than 2.3 million levels to date -- it may enjoy a longer lifecycle than traditional linear titles. Media Molecule says the standard it set with original LBP helped inform its decision to spend a bit more time on the sequel. "We are a tight-knit team and we take enormous pride in our work, so to raise the bar we’ve set with the original LittleBigPlanet, a game that has been so embraced by all, we’ve agreed to allow ourselves a bit more time to deliver the experience that our great fans and community deserve," said the studio. "We are truly sorry, but hope you understand that we have to build the best possible game, as it is the foundation of our community." The studio finished its statement with a tease promising it will "find a way to give more of you a taste of LBP2 prior to launch," suggesting some sort of wider beta than originally planned. LBP2 was announced in May of this year, promising to expand upon the first title by offering more content and tools. According to Media Molecule, new features include a better search system, improved community features, new characters, new cinematic tools, controller customization, and power-ups for the game's sack-people.