The Azure Palace Has Returned
Posted by Dana Olson at 2008-11-16 18:19:23, updated and bumped at 2008-11-17 14:53:18
Tagged: [Bad News] [PlayStation 3]



Update: The Azure Palace has now returned. Hopefully Sony is making changes to the moderation system for the future, so things like this do not happen.

The user level moderation in LittleBigPlanet has gotten way out of hand, as Sony have apparently pulled the Azure Palace level.

I played through this level with Tayler, at the recommendation of Mike, and I saw absolutely NO content that infringed on any IP, nor was there a single bit of offensive material present. What was there, though, were hours and hours of sheer brilliance pulled together into one atmospheric adventure level. And now it's gone.

It was bad enough when levels built as homages to other great games of the past were pulled, but now this? This is unacceptable.

Sony needs to do something about their insanely restrictive moderation policy, because it's killed all desire I have to work on any levels of my own, and most of my desire to bother putting the disc in at all, anymore.

There is a petition if you wish to sign it. Sometimes internet petitions work (Battlefield: Bad Company's pay-for-weapons plan was nixed due to an internet petition, for example).

Play. Create. Share. Delete.



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9 comments:

Offline Wayne J. Rodrique
platinum1 gold9 silver36 bronze251     6
2008-11-16 18:44:19
If this is how Sony wishes to conduct business, I have no reason to support them, or Media Molecule, in buying LBP where I previously had the intention. This pretty much does it for me.

Way to fail, Sony.
Offline Colin McFedran
platinum0 gold4 silver49 bronze367     7
2008-11-16 20:23:58
Despite the attention received to deletion practices only two weeks after LittleBigPlanet's worldwide release, the company notes that less than 0.5 percent of uploaded levels have required "moderation" due to complains from other users.

Food for thought.
Offline Dana Olson
platinum1 gold24 silver123 bronze646     11
2008-11-16 20:26:21
@Colin McFedran: The point is that Sony are deleting levels with no reason whatsoever. It doesn't matter what percentage it is - who, in their right mind, is going to put time and effort into a level if there's a possibility of Sony pulling it permanently with no reason? It takes hours to make a level as good as Azure Palace. That level had nothing offensive and nothing infringing IP... There's no reason it should be deleted.

Maybe Sony's just deleting the 0.5% of the levels that are actually good, because World of Color is gone too.
Offline Mike Hartnett
platinum2 gold17 silver83 bronze370     8
2008-11-17 02:54:49
Wow, this is screwed up. Yeah, The Azure Palace was the most incredible level I'd played in LittleBigPlanet and I can't see what it would be infringing on.
Offline Jason LaFave
platinum3 gold24 silver117 bronze458     10
2008-11-17 05:31:40
@Mike Hartnett: My guess is that there were, at some point in video game history, at least one game that used the word "azure," and one game that used the word "palace," and that was enough to pull it.
Offline Mike Hartnett
platinum2 gold17 silver83 bronze370     8
2008-11-17 10:32:44
@Jason LaFave: Well, I know there was a multiplayer level in Sonic 3 called "Azure Lake". That's about as close as I can get.
Offline Mike Hartnett
platinum2 gold17 silver83 bronze370     8
2008-11-17 10:54:10
It stinks, this was the best level in the ENTIRE GAME, single player included in my opinion.
Offline Colin McFedran
platinum0 gold4 silver49 bronze367     7
2008-11-17 14:42:44
Azure Palace is back...I'm sure WoC is coming to...it is a moderation system issues I think (too easy to grief a level)...
Offline Wayne J. Rodrique
platinum1 gold9 silver36 bronze251     6
2008-11-17 18:21:25
Update: Guess the wife and I are buying this game, after all. :/
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