We’ve known for a while that Sony planned to bring PlayStation franchises to mobile platforms, but we were hoping for something with a unique angle. Instead, Sony is partnering with independent developer and publisher Exient (Lemmings, Planet 53) on a mobile game starring Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet. Ultimate Sackboy is a self-running game for Android and iOS, launching globally on February 21.
The title follows a common formula: control a cute auto-running mascot, jumping and swinging across tracks to avoid obstacles while snagging power-ups. Like Super Mario run and other genre standards, play with your phone in portrait orientation. The plot revolves around the crocheted hero competing in the Ultimate Games, which we envision as an Olympics for semi-retired video game mascots living in an artisan-crafted world. Unsurprisingly, the game’s Google Play listing lists ads and in-app purchases, in keeping with the trailer’s emphasis on acquiring costumes and cosmetics.
While we’d love to see publishers like Sony add something unique to their phone-based spin-offs, an auto-runner starring a beloved mascot meets publishers’ demands for mobile: maximum microtransaction potential with minimal investment in unique gameplay .
The public launch follows the game’s closed betas in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and Malta. You can sign up at register in advance on Google Play, and this page will notify you as soon as it is available on iOS (it will have iPhone and iPad versions).
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