LittleBigPlanet Will Let Users Sell Custom Content a la iTunes App Store; Everything Free at Launch

Media Molecule's upcoming platformer LittleBigPlanet (PS3) will eventually allow players to profit off of their user-created levels or add-ons by offering the content online at a price, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has revealed.

"What we're trying to do with LittleBigPlanet is almost iTunes meets eBay in the sense that once an individual or a developer has qualified by producing certain levels or certain add-ons, they will then be able in the future to exchange these and make money out of them," SCEE president David Reeves told PS3 Fanboy.

Described by Shacknews editor Chris Faylor as an "adorable physics-driven platformer," the game places a pronounced emphasis on community-created content shared among its player base. Reeves added that the user-side content-sale model may well result in "the first LittleBigPlanet millionaire."

A Sony representative later clarified Reeves' comments, noting that all user-generated content will be available free of charge at launch.

"SCEE and Media Molecule can guarantee that all consumer-generated content will be free at launch," Sony told Eurogamer. "We know how important this is to the LBP community and what we want most is for people to enjoy playing, creating and sharing their content."

LittleBigPlanet is slated to launch worldwide this October as a full Blu-ray retail release. Sony confirmed to Shacknews at last week's E3 Media and Business Summit that the game is expected to hit with the standard $59.99 PlayStation 3 software price point.

For more on LittleBigPlanet, check out our hands-on preview.