LittleBigPlanet™ Recognized as a Game-Changer With Industry Awards and Nominations

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today celebrates the recent success of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) exclusive and community-based title, LittleBigPlanet™, which has been recognized with a slew of industry awards since its launch. Of particular note, LittleBigPlanet was awarded an impressive eight awards, including the prestigious Game of the Year title, at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' (AIAS) 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards® (IAA) in Las Vegas, and was recognized by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) organization for the Best Artistic Achievement GAME award. In addition, the National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers Corp.™ (NAVGTR) presented LittleBigPlanet with a leading six awards, including Game of the Year, as part of the 8th Annual NAViGaTR Awards.

Since its launch, LittleBigPlanet has dominated video game industry award categories with over 60 award wins, making it the most decorated PS3 system title to date. Additionally, the number of nominations LittleBigPlanet has received is another indicator of its success, including recent nominations for seven awards, including Game of the Year, as a part of the upcoming 9th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 25.

"We've been overwhelmed by the positive reception LittleBigPlanet has received from gamers," said Alex Evans, Co-founder and Technical Director of Media Molecule. "The awards it has received further validate the goals we had in mind when we began development. As the proud parents of SackBoy™, we couldn't be happier about how well he has been accepted by the gaming community."

"The Annual Interactive Achievement Awards aim to showcase the best confluence of art and science," said Joseph Olin, President of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. "LittleBigPlanet's combination of creativity and innovation make it the standout among a field of strong contenders and we're proud that this game acts as a shining example of the talent and skill represented by the video game industry."

Since its launch last October, LittleBigPlanet has made a tremendous impact on the game industry and overall gaming community by allowing players from across the globe to interact through the LittleBigPlanet online community via shared levels and objects, rankings and user comments. With over 646,135 levels*(1) created by users alone, the worldwide LittleBigPlanet community continues to grow exponentially to encompass 1,934,700 total users*(2) in the LBP online community with an average of 35,373 user-generated levels*(3) uploaded each week in the short period of time it has been available.

Recognized for its unique, groundbreaking and genre-defying abilities, LittleBigPlanet continues to receive accolades from the game industry's key media outlets, which include IGN (Best PS3 Platform Game of 2008, Most Innovative Design), GameTrailers (Most Innovative Game of 2008), GameSpy (Best PS3 Game of 2008) and GamePro (Game of the Year 2008), to name just a few. Additionally, LittleBigPlanet has been awarded with several highly coveted E3 honors by 1Up (E3 2008 Game of Show), G4TV (Best E3 Original Game, E3 Game of Show), GameCritics (Best E3 Console Game) and GameSpot (Best Platform Game at E3), recently received two awards and eight nominations at the 2008 Spike Videogame Awards, as well as has been listed in top 10 and favorite videogame lists by the Associated Press, and in USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, MSNBC.com, WIRED Magazine and PC World.

Developed exclusively for the PS3 system by Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet allows players to control the iconic and customizable SackBoy as they play, create and share their masterpieces in a stitched-together, 3D-crafted material world. LittleBigPlanet invites players of all ages and skill types into an innovative and imaginative experience where they can explore and play through developer and user-generated levels. Additionally, players can use the same design tools, materials and stickers Media Molecule built the actual game with to shape or build objects and entire game levels. Players can then share these creations with the LittleBigPlanet community online via PlayStation®Network.

LittleBigPlanet features cooperative multiplayer gameplay, which allows up to four players the opportunity to play and complete their levels offline with friend at home or play online with other members of the community.

For more information on LittleBigPlanet, please visit: http://www.littlebigplanet.com/

  *(1): As of March 11, 2009
  *(2): As of March 11, 2009
  *(3): As of March 11, 2009

  About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system and its online and network services PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store.

Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PLAYSTATION 3 and the PSP system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

  Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com/.

  About BAFTA:

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is the UK's leading organization dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the fields of the moving image.

About GAME:

GAME is Europe's leading specialist retailer of pc and video game products. Since the start of trading in 1991 with 11 stores in the UK, it has grown both organically and through acquisition to a chain of over 1,300 outlets in January 2009. It operates stores in ten countries, supported by eCommerce websites. Online retail is located at www.game.co.uk.

About the Interactive Achievement Awards:

The Interactive Achievement Awards® are the only peer-based awards that recognize the year's best video games, computer games, online entertainment, outstanding individuals and groundbreaking development teams that have propelled the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry. The awards presented by the AIAS are determined by a vote of field-specific, qualified Academy members, making the Interactive Achievement Awards the most sought-after, respected and credible recognition for creators of entertainment software.

PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION", "PSP", "PS one" and the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks and "PS3" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

LittleBigPlanet ©2007 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by Media Molecule. LittleBigPlanet is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

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FCMN Contact:

SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America

CONTACT: Ron Eagle, +1-858-824-5585, ron_eagle@playstation.sony.com; or
Scott Goryl, +1-858-824-5792, scott_goryl@playstation.sony.com, both of Sony
Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Web Site: http://www.us.playstation.com/