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 Sony has delayed the release of ‘LittleBigPlanet’ after users discovered phrases from the Koran in the soundtrack.
LittleBigPlanet, describes as “much-anticipated” by the BBC, allows players to create their own levels, and share the results with other users. Developer Media Molecule had already shipped copies of the game to retailers – these are now being recalled, as the game-maker hastily remasters the discs, sans the potentially offensive lyrics.
“As some of you may have noticed, LBP has been slightly delayed in some territories. At MM we were as shocked and dismayed by this as anyone – shellshocked and gutted. We can’t wait for you all to get playing and creating!” said Media Molecule’s technical director Alex Evans on the firm’s website.
The recall has all happened in a matter of days: on October 16 a user posted a message to the official Playstation forum, stating: “While playing your latest game, ‘LittleBigPlanet’ in the first level of the third world in the game (titled ‘Swinging Safari’) I have noticed something strange in the lyrics of the music track of the level. When I listened carefully, I was surprised to hear some very familiar Arabic words from the Quran.
“I asked many of my friends online and offline and they heard the exact same thing that I heard easily when I played that part of the track. Certain Arabic hardcore gaming forums are already discussing this, so we decided to take action by emailing you before this spreads to mainstream attention,” the user added, prompting the swift recall.
Sony and Media Molecule have said the revised version of the game will be released later this month in North America, with other territories to follow.
Last year Sony managed to get into hot water with a completely different religion, after it used a CGI version of the interior of Manchester Cathedral in the slightly violent ‘Resistance: Fall of Man’, prompting much ire from British Christians.
The threats from the wishy-washy pinko-liberals at the Church of England were apparently not as convincing as the potentially forthright reaction from the Muslim world however, as in that case Sony merely offered to explain why the Church was wrong talk the issue over.
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