Phil Harrison: “Sony took absolutely the right decision” to recall LittleBigPLanet
The LittleBigControversy continues as Phil Harrison tells GamesIndustry that he believes “Sony took absolutely the right decision” to recall LittleBigPlanet over the controversial Qur’an references in the in-game music. As former president of Sony Worldwide Studios and one of those who saw LittleBigPlanet right from the start, Harrison gives us his thoughts as to why the recall was a good call.
The LittleBigControversy continues as Phil Harrison, former president of Sony Worldwide Studios, says that “Sony took absolutely the right decision” to recall LittleBigPlanet.
GamesIndustry sat down with the former Sony exec and talked about what makes the game so great and why it shouldn’t be out in stores right now.
Playing through the beta, Harrison believes that LittleBigPlanet provided a “fantastic experience” where dreams came together and formed the planet. “It’s pretty rare that within five seconds of starting a game you fall in love with a bit of software,” he said. The main premise of LittleBigPlanet was that the game is for everyone from all walks of life to enjoy.
On reflection I think it was absolutely the right thing to do, because LittleBigPlanet set out from day one to be a game for the entire world – and if there was anything that accidentally detracted from that vision and made the game not fun for the entire world, then the game would have fundamentally failed in its mission.
Looking at the bright side, Harrison says that the recall seemed to heighten the anticipation for LittleBigPlanet – although it was frustrating for some gamers. “I think it’ll end up being a win, and full credit to Media Molecule for turning around a fix as quickly as they did,” he said.
On the other hand, M. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, has already voiced out his stand against the recall (yes, you read it right – he’s against it). Jasser maintains that “true freedom of expression and religious freedom demands that individuals be allowed to express themselves without fear of retribution or offense.”
So are we seeing a go signal? If the recall was due to the religious sensibilities issues, then Jasser’s statement on behalf of the Muslim community may have been an apt reply. It appears Sony was just being careful about religious concerns. But like Harrison said, LittleBigPlanet set out to be a game for everyone, and if anything at all keeps that from happening, then the game would have missed its mark.
Related articles:
- Muslim Group leader speaks out against LittleBigPlanet recall
- LittleBigPlanet patch v1.01 goes live: song’s still there, but what about the lyrics?
- LittleBigControversy hits mainstream news
- Major retailers still selling LittleBigPlanet despite recall
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