LittleBigPlanet will ship three days late so developers can remove the material, inclusion of which could be offensive to Muslims.

K.C. Jones, Contributor

October 21, 2008

1 Min Read

Sony has recalled a new video game because its use of passages from the Koran could be offensive to Muslims.

The release of the PlayStation 3 title LittleBigPlanet is postponed by at least three days so that its developers can remove scripture from the Muslim holy book that's accompanied by music in one level.

Sony and developer Media Molecule, which on its Web site called the incident "a slightly surreal turn of events," did not say how the passages from the Koran came to be included in the game

LittleBigPlanet lets players lead tiny characters called Sackboy through puzzles, jumps, and other challenges. Media Molecule said the game would ship by Oct. 27 in North America, while shipments in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand are delayed until Nov. 3. The company has not changed Japan's Oct. 30 release date.

Preorders will ship on time, according to Media Molecule.

"Thanks to everyone for your patience and continuous support on the release of LittleBigPlanet," the company said in a blog post. "It's been a tough time for gamers, LBP fans, and MM alike, but it seems that there's only about 1 week to wait -- so thank you for your patience. It'll be worth it!" the company said.

"Everything will work as if none of this had ever happened," the company explained. "I think in the end, everyone will be happy. In the coming weeks until launch, as a way of saying thanks for your patience to our loyal MM readers, we'll make sure we've got some great content on this site for you, so stay tuned."

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