Have to say, we are happy to read this one, as we have all been thinking the exact same. Sackboy it seems, is slowly turning into a PlayStation icon. As Sony’s Jonathan Fargher was recently quoted as saying, “It’s fair to say that Nintendo has got Super Mario and Sega had Sonic. It’s about time Sony got their own iconic mascot - Sackboy will be that character”.
It’s not our place to say why we think Sackboy is amazing but the fact that this character, pre-release, has created such a large following is proof enough that Sackboy is here to stay. (Excuse the above image being a re-post but it’s our favourite right now). Gotta love the little fella.
It is *very* premature for this type of talk. I mean, seriously, how over-hyped can this game get? I really hope it delivers, I expect it to deliver, but a little bit of modesty goes a long way.
Comment by puzl — Oct 1, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
I believe Mario’s first name is actually Mario (or, as he used to be known, “Jumpman”), and his taller, younger, and arguably more handsome brother is called Luigi Mario.
As for Sackboy being a mascot for PlayStation, we have mentioned this before (see the “Exclusive: LittleBigPlanet UK packshot” blog entry), but I’m still not sure that the brand needs such a character… I prefer to think that the Sony console range “sells itself” without the need to cash-in on the under 10’s market (like Nintendo do).
Compared to Microsoft’s Master Chief, I think their target audience must be laughing at the current direction of their rival.
Any parent who would be (foolish not to arrange for the rotund gentleman who dresses in red to deliver the console) required to keep little Johnny & Jane happy this coming Christmas Day is going to be a potential customer for great line-up of titles towards the end of 2008 & into 2009, so I’m sure Sony’s TV marketing campaign will actually make sense this festive season.
(No more “All I Want For Christmas is a…” sites, and/or women sat on the toilet images, please)
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 1, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
LittleBigPlanet has received nothing but praise since it’s announcement. The beta is out, and it is still only receiving nothing but praise. The concept is simple and it appeals to a wide amount of people. Sackboy is exactly what Sony needs to make there brand feel more obtainable. It’s the cute face of a huge companies media computer. Sackboy also offers something that other mascots such as Master Chief don’t. It’s subtle but Sackboy really says HD. It’s the textures. Master Chief is you generic last gen armor model. Sackboy has a level of detail you aren’t used to seeing in a scale you aren’t used to seeing and it makes it stand apart. Much like when people say HD is amazing because you can see the pores of a person. It’s strange but it’s what people think. LBP is also an exclusive so holding on to it for some of PS3s marketing is a fantastic idea.
The PS3 is too diverse a product to be stuck in one marketing campaign at a time though. LittleBigPlanet will sell consoles this Christmas. It will help in the gaming end. But when selling it as a media hub, or a blu ray player different styles of advertising would be more affective. Now obviously I’m talking about the mainstream for all of this, because any “gamer” isn’t going to swayed by a mascot one way or the other.
my .02 is free as in beer
Comment by dkoi — Oct 1, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
The game breaks across all ages and i believe that the hype is justified, the game will be massive and sell PS3’s like hot cakes, if Sony get the PR and marketing campaign right this will be huge…
From my time with the BETA i can only say good things about it. The sheer scale and fun to be had is very impressive, if the player created content keeps coming then potentially it wont ever run out of cool levels and things to do in it.
LBP is going to be massive! None of the rivals are doing anything nearly as intuitive, player focused and engaging as this, i expect Microsoft to come up with a rip by next e3, mark my words!
Comment by Nathaniel — Oct 1, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
Based on the Beta the game certainly delivers! I thank that both Sony and Microsoft are trying to catch the Wii,so by having a cute character such as Sackboy fronting the Playstation experience can only be a good thing.
The Sackboys and girls fit into the casual market so well, was on the train this morning and my wife nudged me to look at a woman’s copy of Heat - there was a Sackboy.. You wouldn’t see Master Cheif in that magazine…
Comment by MrGilder — Oct 1, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
Mario was created by Nintendo. Sonic was created by Sega. Sackboy is NOT created by Sony.
At a point in time, everyone thought that Crash Bandicoot would be the PS icon. But he never became. Don’t forget that to be a “Sony icon” you need to be created by Sony.
Comment by Jenny — Oct 1, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
Master Chief was created by Bungie… 99% of the logos you’ve ever seen where created by graphic design firms. I’m pretty sure Adidas would say that it is their logo, even though it wasn’t produced in-house.
Comment by dkoi — Oct 1, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Not sure it will become the definitive PS3 icon. I think there are several depending on Genre. You have your Wipeout craft, Metal Gear’s Snake, Ratchet & Clank and others. Or things we just associate with it. The face I always think of when it comes to Playstation is the “conquered wurelds!” kid from the original ad (but then I’m a bit older).
Sackboy will become the icon of casual gaming for Playstation so thats the one that more people will get into outside the hardcore gaming market. My girlfriend loves him as well, he is very high on the cheeky cuteness factor.
Overhyped? would love to agree but I’ve played the beta, created a couple of my own levels in a very short time (The Spinny Thing by Shrui, plug plug) after listening to Stephen Fry for several great hours and can only agree that it does cross boundaries.
It IS amazing. I smiled and laughed at so many things. Sitting through the myriad of tutorials is not a chore as after each one your just jumping up and down going “Cool! What can this thing not do? Oh that. and that and tha.. etc.”
I’ve never felt so empowered by a game since playing Trackmania for the first time.
Comment by Shrui — Oct 1, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
sorry, ” What can this thing not do? Oh that. and that and tha.. etc.”
should read “What else can this do?”
Comment by Shrui — Oct 1, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
Although not created directly by Sony, Sackboy’s dominance of the market in the next few months is in no small part due to Sony’s intervention:
[ http://games.kikizo.com/features/littlebigplanet-media-molecule-interview-sep08-p1.asp ]
And yes, my review of the Beta (documented here at Three Speech (“TheSixthAxis gets its hands on LittleBigPlanet”), as well as in the “LBP Beta thoughts and impressions thread” at the Official PlayStation Community (PlayStation.com) English Forums, commented that the game crosses boundaries like no other.
Only this morning whilst playing one of my kids at a few user community defined levels, the interaction of the in-game characters with the environments is genuinely laugh out loud funny. Even if you do not like the idea of a platform game, the level of attention to detail with the animation has to be admired.
Of course, any title to a point becomes “hyped” out of proportion, only to receive a backlash from the critics & public alike when it doesn’t deliver the cure for cancer or solve world poverty.
Perhaps Sony’s marketing strategy this time around is to let the title become known by word-of-mouth, rather than promotional buzzword bingo.
There will also be those (not necessarily who favour alternate home video entertainment systems) who condemn the title (even without playing it).
However, once the title is on general release & a downloadable playable demo is available to everybody, I urge you to just try it & to make up your own minds.
I’m hoping you won’t be disappointed, but if you are, that’s cool too.
The PS3 console is still very young (albeit that talk of the PS4 [using the same cell processor architecture technology is currently hitting sites across the globe]), and remember that titles such as “God of War II” reached the PS2 catalogue very late on. If “LittleBigPlanet” is the first title to be developed by Media Molecule, I am very curious to see what they can deliver thereafter or, indeed, what influence this title has any anything that follows it.
Never underestimate the power of PlayStation.
This is Living… etc.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 1, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
…see… a Microsoft (Office) product cannot even tell I have an abundance of braces in the second paragraph above.
Abundance… 101 cakes moving in time with music?
Maybe I should go back to school & become a graduate.
Instead of trying to win GBP 1,000 to develop a promotional video for “Resistance 2″ I could then apply for…
[ http://www.datascope.co.uk/graduates/ ]
—
PROGRAMMER VACANCIES
PSP Game Engine Lead
They are looking for a senior level programmer to work on the development of exciting new LittleBigPlanet projects. Ideal candidates will already have extensive experience of the PSP platform, having shipped at least one title on this format. Key areas of responsibility are expected to be PSP operating system interfacing, implementation of rendering technologies and general code optimisation. Consequently, the candidate will be familiar with core PSP hardware components: specifically the Allegrex core, VFPU and GE; and competent with PSP profiling tools. Game-play and/or tools would also be a great asset. The successful candidate will be expected to take responsibility for the design and implementation of key game components, and to communicate relevant features of these components not just to the rest of the coding team, but also to art, design and management disciplines. Excellent written and verbal communication skills will therefore be a must.
Candidates will have demonstrable competence in C++/C, and should be aware of “best practice” programming techniques for these languages. Experience with MIPS assembly language would also be beneficial. This is a really great time to join this project.
Ref CAM26999
—
Good luck to all those who submit their details.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 1, 2008 @ 2:29 pm
[...] all been (at least unofficially) championing as the new PS3 mascot and, if you check out the recent post from our friends over at ThreeSpeech, it appears that Sackboy will soon be donning this mantle in a [...]
Pingback by Sackboy to become PlayStation Mascot — Oct 1, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
lets hope it lives up to the hype and becomes somethig god like!
Comment by E-ROLE — Oct 1, 2008 @ 2:53 pm
Having played the beta let me say that the LittleBigPlanet hype IS deserved!
Sackboy will definitely become a PlayStation icon. But the PlayStation symbols should be seen whenever we see him. ie the square, triangle, circle and x symbols, so that Sackboy becomes synonymous with the PS3!
Comment by Andronix — Oct 1, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
Sackboy is nice, but how about Kratos as a Sony icon?! Perhaps not quite as cutsey though…
Comment by Aragorn1001 — Oct 1, 2008 @ 3:06 pm
Best to see if LBP takes off before talking about icons. Game could be a gigantic flop for all we know. Yes, I have played the beta too.
Comment by Matt — Oct 1, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
[...] ThreeSpeech Bookmarken: Tipps für uns? Schickt uns eine eMail, welche News [...]
Pingback by Sackboy als zukünftiges Playstation Maskottchen degradiert | eLhabib - Life & Videogames — Oct 1, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
Anybody been able to get the Sackboy widget from the LBP site to work properly, the HTML version always dislpays as blank?
Comment by Divine — Oct 1, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
This game isnt even out yet i think its a litte early to be tlaking mascots, and yeah this game has been hyped up to zen levels, I hope it delievers. Once I have played it maybe I will see what the appeal is.
Comment by Terry — Oct 1, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
Well on the case of living up to the hype I just got the beta last night played for 3 hours and loved every minute of it. IN fact I am at work now and all I can think about is how am I going to lay out my level when I get home, so in my honest opinion I think yes it has lived up to the hype.
Now with Sackboy being the face of Sony I don’t know. Where as Nintendo has Mario, Sega has Sonic and xbox has Master Chief. I have always seen Sony lead man being multiple characters: Snake, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Kratos and probably a few more. Now with Drake, Nathen Hale and Sackboy I believe it will always be multiple characters with Sony from Hardcore to casual and I see that as a good thing not a bad thing.
Comment by wolfehound22 — Oct 1, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
Can i be your mascot
?
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 1, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
No Johnsketch you cannot, because we all hate you and you smell.
Comment by Mr.Monkey — Oct 1, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
And you are always saying stupid things like,
WANT! whenever the remotest piece of rubbish is released by Sony.
Comment by Mr.Monkey — Oct 1, 2008 @ 9:03 pm
Take this information as speculation/rumour until officially confirmed,but…
“Sony Plans To Turn Closed LBP Beta Into Open Demo”
[ http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/3861.html ]
—
Everyone is going absolutely nuts over the LittleBigPlanet beta, as multiple gaming sites all over the Internet are giving away thousands of access codes. But you may not have to get lucky if you wish to play the game before its October 21 release date…
According to reliable inside information delivered by a reader, it seems Sony plans to open up the beta testing during the final week to give everyone a shot at it. Essentially, they produce the closed beta to generate hype and interest, and then open it up to the public in the form of a playable demo a week before the game launches. The tipster in question posted the following in the Blu-Ray{dot}com forums-
“If you don’t get in, don’t worry. They are supposed to be opening up the public beta for the final week. Last I heard they were still planning on doing so, this closed beta is just there to generate a bit (a lot) of hype for the game before it releases. Basically they are talking about turning the limited time closed beta into a demo for the week before launch. It is easier to do this than to release a demo.”
This info evidently comes straight from SCEE, and if that’s true, there’s no denying its validity. The concept makes perfect sense to us, too, so we’re going to say we’re about 95% certain this rumor will be proven correct very soon. For now, we have to say its unconfirmed, but we’re definitely leaning towards “truth” rather than bogus. Thanks to our loyal reader for letting us in on the details; we agreed to keep this quiet for a while to keep the beta hype high, but now that hype is un-killable. So we figure it’s safe to tell ya about this now.
—
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 2, 2008 @ 3:35 am
@Mr Monkey, leave Johnsketch alone, I got his back. But you’re right, bad, bad choice for a mascot..
Comment by MrJimmy — Oct 2, 2008 @ 10:48 am
Honestly, i was excited about this game when i heard about it almost a year ago, but lets face it, it’s been in production for a comically long time now considering that all it really is is a psn game at best, albeit a higher quality one than the usually bottom of the barrel guff thats on there at the moment. Sack boy has become an icon, thats true, but he’s an icon of needlessly long, over hyped novelty games… so i guess he really does symbolize the ps3’s life so far.
Comment by jimmy — Oct 2, 2008 @ 10:53 am
@all hail jimmy!
@Monkey
Love me really
News of the beta opening up is damned fine by me! just means another week playing one of the most addictive games released this year!
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
I’m sure they always planned to have a demo out before launch. Even as far back as last year when it was penciled in for Autumn 07.
As I’m not on the beta I’ve been consoling myself with the fact that I’ll get a greater sense of joy come release day when I first put it in.
Obviously that’s a lie and I can’t wait for a crack at the beta if they do open it up (makes sense).
Comment by noboard — Oct 2, 2008 @ 12:59 pm
I have just received an e-mail from Sony Computer Entertainment Japan to invite me to the Beta of “RITORUBIGGUPURANETTO “!
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Oct 3, 2008 @ 11:24 am
Anyone know if Sony plan on releasing Sackboy plush toys and if so where I can get my hands on one… the Mrs is driving us crazy after one!! Well… I wouldn’t mind one too!
Comment by Monkey Rimmer — Oct 3, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
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