Popular PS4 Exclusive Has Been Shut Down Permanently by Sony

A popular PS4 exclusive has been shut down permanently by Sony, rendering elements of the game completely unplayable and losing progress of PlayStation fans in the process. The game in question hails from 2014, a year the history books remember as a slow and light year in terms of video game releases. There were some notable releases though, such as Dragon Age: Inquisition, Hearthstone, Mario Kart 8, Shovel Knight, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Bayonetta 2, South Park: Stick of Truth, Dark Souls II, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Divinity: Original Sin, Titanfall, and The Banner Saga. It was also the year GTA 5 came to PS4 and Xbox One. 

If you were primarily gaming on PS4 back in 2014, then one of the games you may most remember was platform exclusive LittleBigPlanet3 from Sumo Digital. And parts of it will now forever have to be enjoyed in your memory, because its servers have been shut down. 

Back in January, servers were taken offline for the game in what was perceived and communicated to be a temporary measure. Fast-forward a few months, and now Sony has confirmed that servers will not be restored due to a technical issue. As a result, players' creations have now also all been lost. 

"Due to ongoing technical issues which resulted in the LittleBigPlanet 3 servers for PlayStation 4 being taken offline temporarily in January 2024, the decision has been made to keep the servers offline indefinitely," reads the official communication from Sony.  All online services including access to other players' creations for LittleBigPlanet 3 are no longer available."

Sony goes on to note that all user generated content that is stored locally on your PS5 will remain available, but will no longer be able to be shared. Meanwhile, offline features such as a the campaign will of course all continue to remain available. 

PlayStation has not communicated anything than the very formal and legal update above. At this point, we don't expect this to change, but if it does we will be sure to update the story accordingly. In the meantime, for more PlayStation 4 coverage -- including all of the latest PS4 news, all of the latest PS4 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest PS4 deals -- click here.