Ex-Sony chief Harrison backs LBP decision

The right choice was made, says ex-Worldwide Studios man

Atari president Phil Harrison, the ex-Sony exec credited with first pushing LittleBigPlanet as 'the next big thing', has said that Sony took the right decision in opting to recall the title after references from the Qur'an made it into one of the game's licensed tracks.

"I wasn’t privy to all of the discussions and debate that went on within Sony, but I know they would have thought very deeply about it, and at the highest level of the company," Harrison told GI.biz.

"And 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.

"So I think Sony took absolutely the right decision - painful though it was, and frustrating though it might be for gamers who were looking forward to it."

He concludes that the press surrounding the recall, and subsequent delay, could actually be good for the game - and he praised Media Molecule's quick actions in fixing the issue.

More LBP soon.

By Luke Guttridge