WithDeath Stranding 2releasing to critical acclaim,Ghost of Yoteijust around the corner, andgames likeMarvel’s Wolverine,Saros, andIntergalacticlined up for 2026 and beyond, there is plenty to look forward to forPlayStation 5fans. However, one recent rumor suggested that a remaster of a classic PS3 game would be joining this lineup, though the source - rightly so - raised red flags. According to a recent IMDb listing, the originalLittleBigPlanetwas being rebuilt from the ground up for the PlayStation 5, but it turns out that my dream remaster for Sony’s current console is nothing but fan fiction.
Obviously, the elephant in the room for this rumor was its source, with IMDb hardly being a reputable avenue for announcements. From films to video games, countless fake projects have appeared on the website, as any user can create a page and make it seem as realistic as possible. With this in mind, the supposed “accidental publishing” ofLittleBigPlanet Remastered’s IMDb page was always questionable, as it could have been someone toying with fans of the franchise, or a gamer who adores the series and was aiming to push Sony to talk about it again. Realistically, the listing being fake as opposed to a hint at an upcomingPS5reveal was always the most likely scenario, and this has since turned out to be the case. TheIMDb listingspotted by game reviewer @NextGenPlayer on X has since been updated, with it now being called “LittleBigPlanet Remastered Concept” and the description calling it “an old community pitch.” Much to the dismay of myself and many others, it seems like the dream of a newLBPis dead.
TheLittleBigPlanetfranchiseholds a very special place in my heart, as the first two entries were the go-to games of my pre-teen years. While I had a blast playing shooters likeCall of Dutyand sports games likeMaddenwith my friends from school, I’ve always been someone who has craved a variety of video game experiences.LittleBigPlanethad always appealed to me for this reason, so when its Game of the Year edition released, I finally gave it a go. I was instantly hooked by not just the charm of the story, but the creativity of thousands of players, which was on clear display in the game’s user-generated levels. Whenever my friends were busy or hopped offline, I would jump right onLittleBigPlanetto see a random community creation or drop into someone’s pod to meet another player. This approach brought me so many fond memories, but unfortunately, I can no longer relive them - something a PS5 remaster could have changed.
LittleBigPlanet’s Countless Player-Made Are Inaccessible on PS5
I could spend hours just talking about all the cool things I saw while browsingLittleBigPlanetlevels over the years. Some gamers made their own in-game talk shows to discuss upcoming levels from high-profile creators, while others made proper movies with original storytelling usingLBP 2’s voice acting feature. Incredible homages to some of my favoritefranchises likeDead Spacewere playable, as were addicting mini-games and first-person shooters, the latter of which was accomplished using some clever camera trickery. Even “bad” levels had an appeal to them, like the hundreds of copied and pastedMortal Kombatlevels where players did battle within some very clunky mechs that only had a few attacks. Sadly, all the hide-and-seek levels, tech displays, and collectathons have been inaccessible for over a year and a half.
For those out of the loop, theLittleBigPlanetserversendured regular bouts of start-ups and shutdowns before the plug was eventually pulled:
What made this downward spiral even more devastating is that, because of the temporary server shutdown in January instantly transitioning into a permanent shutdown in April, players never got a warning that theLBPservers were not coming back. This means that gamers did not get a chance to save their work, meaning that countless levels were instantly lost. While I have never been a creative person, and was someone who enjoyed other players’ content instead of making things myself, I was still devastated when this news broke. I had just been talking to my fiancée about getting intoLBPagain and taking her through all my favorite levels, but because of the shutdown, those gameplay sessions would never come to be.
LittleBigArchiveis a community effort that has attempted to save as many resources as possible and make them accessible to gamers on PC. Fans have also started private servers such as Beacon for the trilogy andLBP Vita, with the player organization dubbedLittleBigPlanet Union.
Even If It Did Happen, a LBP Remaster Would Be Facing a Huge Uphill Battle
While I personally am desperate for anotherLBPgame to experience my favorite levels with the love of my life, I can only imagine how much more creators would want to see their work restored. Community-run archives should not be the only way to access the many great things made bySackboysand Sackgirls over the years, as a modernLittleBigPlanetgame available on the latestPlayStationhardware would be far more accessible. However, a remaster of the first game would raise a big concern.
While better server security is a must, and would surely be seen with a PS5 remaster of the firstLittleBigPlanet, how such a game would handle old UGC is less clear. After all, the firstLittleBigPlanetgame lacked a lot of the features used inLBP 2andLBP 3levels, meaning it may not be able to support the content from those games. Additionally, a remaster of the originalLittleBigPlanetwould surely be a looker, so it begs the question of whether all the visually outdated player levels could be upgraded or not. The description on the rumored remaster’s page makes no mention of online levels, so there is even the worry that it would just be a remaster of the story mode. And though myself and many others adored theMedia Molecule-made content,LBPisn’tLBPwithout the “create” and “share” portions of the “play, create, share” mantra.
Regardless of these concerns, and the fake IMDb listing that briefly sparked hope of a comeback for the IP, I truly hope PlayStation is not done withLittleBigPlanet. It’s a series that means the world to me and many others, and while I enjoyed my time withSackboy’s Big Adventureand have loved seeing playersmake magic happen withinDreams, neither title scratched the same itch for me. So, even though this big PS5 remaster fakeout has been a big blow, and my mind is telling me there won’t be anotherLBP, my heart is telling me to keep on believing - and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
