Fri, Oct 17, 2008 | 17:13 BST
Confirmed: LittleBigPlanet delayed over Qur’an “expressions”, SCEE makes statement
Update: Sony’s just confirmed that all discs are to be recalled on a global level. Hit this.
SCEE has just confirmed that LittleBigPlanet has slipped because “the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur’an” in one of the licensed background tracks, but has not supplied a new release date.
The game was previously scheduled for an October 24 release.
VG247 has learned that the game is already at retail in both the UK and other European countries.
Heavy speculation has surrounded a slip this afternoon.
Sony just issued a statement on the matter:
During the review process prior to the release of LittleBigPlanet, it has been brought to our attention that one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur’an. We have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologise for any offence that this may have caused.
We’ll confirm the new launch date shortly.
It’s unclear at the moment if this means the game is to be completely recalled.
26 
Posted in: Europe, Hot, PS3, PSN, Platformer, Puzzler, Sony
Tags: littlebigplanet, media molecule, slip
26 comments
#1
Syrok
17/10/08, 4:51 pm
…
#2
Johnny Cullen
17/10/08, 4:53 pm
Tis a sad day for gaming =(
#3
SilentLoner
17/10/08, 4:53 pm
Well thats that then. SCEE are idiots, first Wipeout now this?!
They really should pay attention at selling consoles 101!
This is meant to be a system seller and they f!ck it up?!
C’Mon!
Why not day 1 patch it?
#4
David
17/10/08, 4:54 pm
Seriously over a song……. Come on just mute your tv if it offends you
#5
Psychotext
17/10/08, 4:56 pm
Wow. I’m astonished. Please don’t move it to the 14th. Pick another date.
#6
RedPanda
17/10/08, 4:57 pm
I don’t understand why this only applies to Europe then.
#7
David
17/10/08, 4:58 pm
Who knows why RedPanda but europe always gets the short end of the stick.
#8
G1GAHURTZ
17/10/08, 4:58 pm
I like the way that they come out with the exact reason for this but never officially confirmed why wipeout got delayed.
#9
RedPanda
17/10/08, 4:59 pm
@David not as much as Muslims in the US, who in Sonys view it is apparently fine to insult!
#10
David
17/10/08, 5:02 pm
@RedPanda: That one confuses me too maybe the people that complained live in Europe and they are applying the fix to that region.
#11
Eregol
17/10/08, 5:04 pm
Not to the same bloody week as WoW: WotLK.
I’d like to play LBP a little before WoW steals my life again.
#12
morriss
17/10/08, 5:06 pm
I phoned the Daily Mail.
#13
airdom
17/10/08, 5:06 pm
@SilentLoner
”Well thats that then. SCEE are idiots, first Wipeout now this?! ”
lbp will have a much bigger impact than wipeout.
they will probably do the same thing that happened with GTA San Andreas for replacement(if you want to)
i just wonder to WHEN they will push the game now, the schedule is becoming tighter, and packed with ”high impact” games.
looking forward to see how this shapes up
#14
G1GAHURTZ
17/10/08, 5:07 pm
@ RedPanda
It’s not a black and white issue over what is insulting and what isn’t.
The song was apparently done by a Muslim, so he clearly never intended offence.
He’s just singing verses that he probably loves from the Qur’an.
However someone has clearly led Sony to believe that this will cause offence to all Muslims, which is not necessarily the case.
So where does the insult come from?
The reality is that the song is by a Muslim, from a country whose population has a Muslim majority, and many of whom have probably bought this song.
It’s a bit of a PR disaster caused by people who’ve made some rash decisions, ie Sony.
#15
RedPanda
17/10/08, 5:07 pm
I’m hoping for one week delay and a patch solution so they can point out that if anyones offended there’s a simple fix.
That’d make sense cos they could quietly introduce the patch into other regions too.
I guess Far Cry 2 sounds interesting in the meantime
#16
that_happy_cat
17/10/08, 5:09 pm
They really should have done their research:
http://thingsoffensivetoislam.blogspot.com/
There… now learn!
#17
SilentLoner
17/10/08, 5:18 pm
I ask again, why not day 1 patch it. This is the death knell for Sony this gen in my opinion.
#18
Shatner
17/10/08, 5:21 pm
I love the internet.
All these people who protest indifference towards this game are now up in arms about a delay.
I note one *very* pro 360 site (although it hilariously insists no bias) has managed to avoid the mention of ANY scores the game has been getting in reviews over the last week. They are, however, already running this story like.. like.. like.. a bunch of religious fanatasists dancing around an effigy.
Still. At least we know the game is better than Braid!
#19
Psychotext
17/10/08, 5:29 pm
Shatner you twat I nearly choked on my coffee when I got to that last line.
#20
Shatner
17/10/08, 5:36 pm
But it IS better than Braid! The opinion of some games reviewer who was probably a completely different person to the one who reviewed Braid summised the entire game with a number out of 10 that was HIGHER than the number of 10 that was used to quantify Braid!
You can’t argue with that. You can’t argue with numbers.
Something tells me that 360 blowhards are going to make a huge song and dance about not being able to get this game that they weren’t planning on getting on the original date they weren’t originally going to not get it.
Lolgic
#21
Truk
17/10/08, 5:36 pm
I’m offended by this recall! Who’s going to stand up for me?
#22
Shatner
17/10/08, 5:39 pm
morriss will.
I bet this news has got him so excited he’ll be hard for weeks.
#23
Psychotext
17/10/08, 5:50 pm
Yeah, thanks for that. I have an extraordinarily visual imagination and that wasn’t a picture it needed.
/suppresses
/counselling
#24
MesserWolf
17/10/08, 8:39 pm
this is insane . Shame on you sony …
#25
badar
18/10/08, 2:05 pm
Well, with all the intolerence talked about muslims, would anyone just tell, how on the earth it is ILLEGAL to deny the holocaust in the west?
What sort of tolerance is this? How do you all living in the west could accept that piece of legislation without raising any eyebrow on that while all the time calling muslims intolerant!!!
#26
Smartypants
18/10/08, 3:12 pm
Because the holocaust actually happened while all religions are archaic superstitions that lead to war, terrorism, and (on a smaller scale) games being recalled for stupid reasons?