14 DAY TRIAL // LittleBigPlanet was supposed to be an innovative title which would make PlayStation 3 users very happy with their console. It was designed to be a very popular game, which would push the sales of the Sony made device up the charts, and make it a clear winner in the following holiday season.
Unfortunately, all that hype has gone down and sales of this title have really disappointed the developer of the game, Media Molecule, and Sony, the publisher, which sustained a heavy marketing campaign in order to make the title appealing to a lot of people. In the first week in the US, LBP sold about 250,000 units, which compared to other games isn't a lot. Also, as users complained about the fact that their individual levels were deleted by moderators, the promise that the game would allow players creativity without limits was certainly disproved.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry, David Wilson, the head of public relations for Sony UK, revealed that he was quite pleased with how LBP faired in the opening weeks, as it is a new IP (Intellectual Property) and would've surely dominated it if it had been launched in any other time frame. He added that the volatile holiday market had a big impact on the sales. He hopes that, through word of mouth, the game will have bigger sales this Christmas.
“We are also pleased with its commercial performance. In other times of the year it would be a clear number one - so you have to put the chart in context. This is an incredibly volatile time of year and the chart reflects that - November 7 saw 47 titles released on that one day alone including many big hitters with Christmas number one aspirations. Look at the chart this week - the top four are all brand new entries. It is also a game that will benefit enormously from word of mouth and from people trying it out with friends or in store - it drips fun and charm in equal measure.”
These are very interesting statements, which come to reassure fans and industry analysts that Sony is certainly taking its time with LBP and that it won't go to anything drastic to make the title even more appealing.